


A Matter of Time

by WriterFreak001



Category: Beauty and the Beast (TV 2012)
Genre: A Matter of Time, BATB, BATB 2012, Beauty & the Beast - Freeform, F/M, Keiko Fujiwara, Vincent x Catherine, WriterFreak001
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 12:10:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2150226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterFreak001/pseuds/WriterFreak001
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WriterFreak001: I've had this little story in my mind for a while…, and finally, I've had time to write it down since BATB 2.13 "Till Death" (which was an AWESOME episode by the way!).
> 
> WRITERFREAK001 AND KEIKO FUJIWARA ARE ONE AND THE SAME!!!
> 
> Things to know:
> 
> This piece will have sort of a Faulkner style to it. So read carefully because it will flip from present to past and back to present (et cetera) unexpectedly. The following bullet points should aid you in reading this story.
> 
> *Present || Normal Font
> 
> *Past || Bold + Italicized Font
> 
> *Several sentences will be split. The first half may be in the present…then a past memory will infiltrate the sentence…. The rest of the phrase will continue after the memory has completed itself. (sometimes the memory will cut off abruptly and return to the present)
> 
> **If, after this chapter is over, you are utterly confused, please let me know.

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

** **

**PART 1**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine hissed in pain as she slowly made her way into her apartment. It had been a long, agonizing drive back from Gabe's, and she knew she was in for a rough night. The moment she entered her bedroom, she inhaled a sharp breath and walked into her bathroom. Before she did anything, she gazed into the mirror, and observed the jagged marks stretching across her abdomen. Blood was seeping through her dress—lots of it.

While she continued to stare at her injury, she bit her lip and gasped as she reached backwards to unzip her dress. For Vincent's sake, she needed to destroy her dress as soon as possible. Once she pulled the zipper down towards the small of her back, she released her long-held breath, and slid the black, sequenced material over and off of her shoulders. The dress fell to the floor, and she proceeded to remove the rest of her clothing so she could clean off in the shower. Once fully naked, she noticed the extent of her wounds, and her thoughts of cleaning her injuries in a hot shower was long forgotten.

It's a wonder how she even managed to drive home without fainting!

To try and stop the blood from flowing out of her stomach, she pressed both hands against the four clawed cuts and clenched her teeth as well as squeezed her eyes shut in response to the pain searing out of her body.

When she opened up her eyes, she _**smiled at Gabe as he pulled her inside of his apartment. They were finally going to make the next big step within their relationship—or so she hoped. As he locked the door, he told her to make herself at home. She walked further inside his apartment, nervous. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like something was missing. The last time she had…was with Vincent. And a memory like**_ _ **that**_ _ **doesn't just disappear overnight. As she slowly walked about the living room, she realized she had never really had a chance to notice all of the ancient artifacts decorating Gabe's apartment.**_

" _ **See something you like?" she heard him ask as he approached her from behind.**_

" _ **Your collection…I didn't know you like medieval weapons." Catherine replied while he walked in front of her with a smile.**_

" _ **It's a…guilty pleasure." Gabe laughed. "I've been collecting for many years. But," he paused, "I didn't invite you into my apartment tonight just so we could talk about my collection."**_

" _ **I know." Catherine nodded as she tried to hide the fact that her mind was reeling with uneasiness. Something—call it a gut feeling—was nagging at her, but she didn't know what it was. "I guess I'm a little nervous…. That's all."**_

" _ **We don't have to do anything, Catherine. If you still want to wait, I'm okay with that." Gabe replied, still smiling. "I told you, I'll wait until you're ready."**_

_**But would she ever be ready? For Gabe, at least? "Is it okay…if I have a few moments to myself?" She needed to get herself together; she couldn't very well do that with him standing in the room.** _

" _ **Of course. I need to make a quick trip to the lobby anyway. You think ten minutes would be long enough?"**_

" _ **Should be." Catherine nodded.**_

" _ **All right. I'll see you in ten." Gabe said and backed away from her. "Feel free to look at my collection while you collect your thoughts."**_

" _ **Thanks." Catherine gave Gabe a small smile. After he had left, she pulled her hair off of her neck and took in a deep breath. What was she doing? Did she really want to go through with this? What was she trying to prove? That she could move on from Vincent? Thousands of thoughts entered her head as she mindlessly sauntered about the loft. She twiddled her fingers behind her back and teetered back and forth on her feet as she gazed at the walls. Gabe really had quite the collection—how could she have not noticed it before?**_

 _ **Suddenly, she saw two manila folders sitting on his desk; unable to defy her curiosity, she walked over to it and**_ felt so weak; her skin was paling. She looked at her crumpled dress and undergarments on the floor and saw a small puddle of blood growing around it. Her hands were too small to prevent her stomach from bleeding, and if she didn't call for help, she was sure she wouldn't make the night. After grabbing her towel off of the towel rack, she pressed the material firmly against her abdomen and walked out of the bathroom. She needed to find her phone and call _him_. He needed to know. He _had_ to know. She didn't care that she was buck naked; she was in too much pain to even think about her indecency. However, if she should pass out before his arrival, she grabbed her bathrobe and dragged it with her as she walked out of her bedroom.

Catherine strolled down her hallway and _**gasped when she saw the headings of both folders. One was labeled with Vincent's name, and the other one was entitled Catherine Chandler. Why would Gabe have files of Vincent and of her? Slowly and quietly, she flipped up the top flap of the folder listed with her name, and scanned through its contents. Among the papers she found within the file, Gabe apparently had copies of her monetary transactions within his possession. She continued to thumb through the files, and saw a sealed, mini-manila envelope as well. Quickly, she unwound the thin red string from around its coil, and pulled out what seemed to be pictures…of her…. Some were pictures taken of her when she was a little girl; others were recent—very recent. Was Gabe having her followed? And for how long?**_

_**Catherine put the pictures back into the envelope and resealed it before placing it back inside the larger envelope. Instead of continuing to investigate her file, she moved on to Vincent's. Again, Gabe had collected many of Vincent and JT's monetary transactions from the past two years. He also had pictures of both of them among other things. However, inside the small envelope that contained the dozens of photos of Vincent, she also found a small key. Shoving the key inside her pocket, she tidied everything back up, made the desk look like she had never touched it and started looking for a safe. He wouldn't have hidden his safe in plain sight—or would've he?** _

_**If Catherine knows anything about Gabe, it is that he's smart. He's an ADA after all; if he was really hiding something, he wouldn't have all of his secrets on showcase. They would be hidden in a place only he would have most of the access to—his room. Without a second thought, her detective skills kicked in. She snuck into Gabe's bedroom and searched his chamber. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. Hang on—why would a dresser drawer have a lock? She raced over to his bedside dresser and pulled the key out of her pocket. "Could it really be that simple?" she asked herself as she looked at the key.** _

_**Wasting no more time, she pushed the key inside the padlock and twisted the lock open. Success. With urgency, she removed the padlock, and opened up the drawer. Not even Vincent would have been able to guess what she had found.** _

_**She turned on her phone light, directed the LED down into the drawer and**_ held onto the wall as she made her way to the main room of her apartment. As she made her way to her counter, she lazily dropped her bathrobe on top of her couch's armrest so Vincent would be able to find it.

She remembered placing her purse on the counter—her phone **had** to be in it. Wherever her phone might be, she hoped to God that she didn't leave it at Gabe's. With the cloth pressed against her stomach, she finally made it to the kitchen counter. While she reached for her purse, she suddenly felt dizzy; her legs felt like Jell-O. The room around her started to spin as absentmindedly released the towel from her stomach and grasped her head. Forgetting about her purse, she tried to take a step away from the counter, but lost her balance, falling to the floor.

She shrieked in agony, grasping her side as she tried to erase the pain resonating within her body. She squeezed her eyes closed, and muttered his name under her breath—praying for him to come to her aid. She was wrong to have ever trusted Gabe. And now, it might be too late to make amends. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her purse lying on the floor. It must have fallen. Biting her bottom lip as tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes, she continued to hold her stomach with her left hand while she _**used her free hand to move around the objects hidden inside the drawer. She saw a vial with some sort of red concoction…among several burner phones and a medieval mace? She picked up the only burner phone that wasn't inside a plastic bag. Against her best judgment, she turned it on. As she waited for the mobile device to boot up, she placed it beside her and pulled out the mace. Why would Gabe have a mace hidden inside a dresser drawer?**_

_**She pointed her phone's light at the spikes. Her stomach suddenly felt ill. She had seen those spikes before…, and if she was right about the when and where, she had every reason to pack up and leave Gabe's apartment as soon as possible. Just as she was about to lock up the dresser and sneak the items out to her car by use of the Fire Escape, she heard Gabe's bedroom door slam shut, causing her to jump a few inches into the air.** _

" _ **Gabe!" she exclaimed after whipping around to find him standing a few feet in front of her. "I didn't hear you come in."**_

" _ **You really couldn't keep your curiosity to yourself, could you Catherine." he said as she shined her phone light at his face. To her surprise, however, he didn't block the bright light; he just stared at her with a frown plastered on his face.**_

" _ **Explain all of this." Catherine demanded. She gulped, uncomfortable with how close he was to her. Between the bedside dresser, the bed, wall and Gabe, she wasn't left with a lot of room to move if in case she needed to defend herself.**_

" _ **I don't have to tell you anything." Gabe sneered and crossed his arms over his chest. At least he wasn't preparing to attack her.**_

" _ **I think I deserve an explanation." She retorted.**_

" _ **Why? So you can run off and tell Vincent?" Gabe raised his eyebrow, but did not change his expression.**_

" _ **No." Catherine shook her head, even though he was speaking part of the truth. "I'm tired of lies, Gabe. If you don't have a valid explanation for all of this, and for those files on your desk, I'll walk out that door and never come back."**_

" _ **And what if I don't tell you?"**_

" _ **Then yes, I will go tell Vincent, and for once, I'll let him be the judge, jury and maybe the executioner." Catherine replied with a shaky voice.**_

" _ **Fair enough." Gabe suddenly shrugged. "I guess I have no choice then."**_

" _ **No choice for what? Kill me? Kill Vincent?"**_

" _ **No." he shook his head, "I can't kill you, Catherine. If I do, Vincent will be chasing my ass for as long as I live. I obviously can't kill Vincent, but there**_ _ **is**_ _ **someone I**_ _ **can**_ _ **kill—or rather, have an arranged kill."**_

" _ **You're bluffing."**_

" _ **Am I?" Gabe challenged. "Then let's see how your sister, Heather, is faring in Miami. Perhaps a few good pals of mine can have some fun with her."**_

" _ **Keep my sister out of this." Catherine frowned, giving Gabe an implied threat. "She doesn't know anything about beasts; I want to keep it that way."**_

" _ **Well, if I call my friends up, I'm sure that can still be arranged." Gabe smirked.**_

_**Catherine sighed in defeat. "Fine. What do you want of me?"** _

" _ **Let's see…do what I say when I say it, and don't say a word about what you found today. If you do, I will have your sister killed, Catherine. You can count on that. Do we have an agreement?"**_

_**If only to save Heather? Then, "Yes." Catherine nodded. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to get home. Fishes to feed, you know?"** _

" _ **You don't own fishes." Gabe deadpanned.**_

" _ **Then take a hint." Catherine retorted as she pushed Gabe out of her way and headed for his bedroom door. She walked out into the living room, and grabbed her purse. Gabe followed her, and grabbed her arm.**_

" _ **Wait."**_

" _ **What?"**_

" _ **How do I know you won't tell Vincent the moment you walk out of here?"**_

" _ **The same way you'll know if I do." Catherine challenged him. She has just about had it with men and manipulation. At this point in time in her life, a nunnery wasn't a bad option for her to consider. "Now, if you don't mind, let me go."**_

" _ **I didn't say you could leave yet." Gabe said and squeezed her arm tighter. "You did agree to basically being my personal slave back there."**_

_**As if. Catherine ripped her arm out of his grip and slammed her foot into his chest, knocking him backwards. "I'll leave when I want to leave."** _

_**She turned around and started storming out of Gabe's apartment. However, she heard him sprint towards her. The next thing she knew, she felt claws sinking into her body. They ripped across her stomach at an angle, causing her to immediately double over in pain.** _

_**She looked up at her assailant, and saw fangs, claws and yellow eyes. Shock washed over her. "G-gabe…y-your b-beast!" Catherine muttered slowly as blood spewed out of her mouth.** _

_**Anger swept across Gabe's face; something was different though. He wasn't as horrid-looking as the last time. It was almost like he also had an upgrade like Vincent. He started for her again, but she whipped out a tranquilizer gun from her purse and aimed it at him. Without a moment to lose, she fired three tranquilizers into his leg, making him lose consciousness and fall to the floor.** _

_**Catherine pulled herself up to stand, and zigzagged out of Gabe's apartment, hoping that she would make it home in time to dress it.** _

...reached for her purse. She stretched her arm muscles as far as she could, but her purse wasn't close enough. As her vision started to feel hazy, her right hand slipped off of her stomach, and her left hand went limp.

There was only a matter of time now.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 2**

****

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**-Vincent-**

The air seemed chillier than usual; the wind was bitterly cold as it blew strongly across his face. Although he didn't like it, he walked away from _her_ , knowing a romantic relationship with someone like Gabe would make her happy. He had caused her too much heartache, and even though he desperately wanted to hold her in his arms this Valentine's Day and kiss her warm, glossy lips, he knew walking away was the best decision on his part. Catherine deserved a better man, and he knew that better man wasn't him. She was with Gabe now—a man who could make her happy. She's dated a 'dead' man before; the only difference? Gabe wasn't a beast like he was. As far as he could tell, Gabe was human—a genuine human who cared for Catherine. Perhaps, he even loved her.

The thoughts of losing her poisoned Vincent's heart, but as long as Catherine was happy, he could endure the emotional pain and heartache.

For some reason, he didn't feel like going back to the houseboat, at least not yet. He couldn't go back to the Gentlemen's Guild either—in case JT and Tess decided to end the supposedly romantic night with a romantic rendezvous. So, instead, he slowly made his way to Central Park. Alone, he took a seat on a bench overlooking the heights of New York City, and decided to close his eyes and clear his mind.

'Catherine was happy,' he kept reminding himself. 'It's for the best.' No matter how many times he thought about Catherine's happiness, a nagging feeling didn't seem to go away. Something felt off, but he didn't know what it was. Perhaps it was only the broken heart emanating from his chest that made him feel weary. What else could be the explanation?

Needing to do _something_ , he pushed himself off of the bench and walked away from the park. He needed someone to talk to; he needed someone to hear his thoughts, but not chastise him for his actions. Mindlessly, he wandered off to the subway tunnels, boarded a train and watched the dark walls race past him as he stared out of the window across the aisle. The trip wasn't long, but necessary. Other than Catherine and JT, there was only one other person in his life who knew him inside and out.

When he left the subway, he meandered up the steps and walked out onto the dark, dim-lit streets. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see one of the 9/11 fountain memorials glowing in the distance. The last time he was there, he was with Catherine.

Was there anything in this goddamned city that wouldn't continuously remind him of Catherine?

He doubted it.

Slowly and in no hurry, he walked past the memorial and stopped when he reached his destination. He knelt down before his oldest brother's tombstone, and heaved an audible sign. "You have no idea how messed up my life is, William." He muttered softly as he spoke to the dead. "And," he laughed dryly, "You never will get the chance."

He placed his hand on top of the tombstone and patted it as if he were patting Will's head right now. Even though he heard no response resonating from the bodiless tomb, he continued to lament his sorrows. "Maybe that's why I'm here...because I can just say whatever the hell I want, and I wouldn't have to bear with anyone's scrutiny tonight."

He ran his hand through his hair, and stood back up. He jammed his hands into his pocket, but didn't move away from the grave. "You know what's crazy? All this time, I thought I had volunteered for some stupid program so I could continue to save lives. But you know what?" He felt anger searing through his body. He wanted to bash his foot into the neighboring gravestone. He wanted to, but he managed to calm his nerves down before continuing his lamentations. He knelt down again before the grave and sighed. "You know what?" he asked in a hushed voice, "Like everything else in my life, someone else was pulling the strings." He paused. "I guess I'll never be able to catch a break, will I?" He waited for an answer. Maybe he was crazy, but he was desperate. He needed someone he could trust at the moment—someone who wasn't preoccupied for the holiday. When no one replied, he licked his lips and nodded his head. "With everything I've done, I'm not surprised I'm being punished."

Suddenly, he felt two tears fall down his face; he quickly wiped the away, but more followed. His nose began to burn, and as much as he wanted to hide his pain and his heartache, he couldn't hold it all in any longer. "I love her, William. I love her so much that I decided it was best for her to be with a man that could make her happy. She deserves someone far better than me, but it hurts and the pain I feel right now is almost too unbearable." He paused and sniffed loudly before emitting another empty laugh. "I never thought I could experience anything more painful than the bullet she placed in my chest, but…losing her…no," he swallowed, "…letting her go...," he licked his lips, "letting her go…it can't even compare."

He closed his eyes as he felt his own heart crying inside his chest. He thought of William and his wife, Rachel. For years, Will and Rachel were engaged. Hell, they continuously broke their engagement off, but, in the end, they managed to sort through their problems, marry and conceive a child a year after their wedding ceremony.

Will and Rachel's relationship had been a picnic in a park compared to Vincent's current love life. "How'd you do it, man?" Vincent asked his brother's grave, "How'd you manage to hold onto the woman of your dreams, and never let her go?"

Before Vincent could say anything else, he heard someone's footsteps approaching Will's grave. "Who are you?" A familiar voice shouted; it was obvious that the figure in the distance couldn't see Vincent's face—it was too dark. However, when Vincent looked to his left, his night vision told him everything he needed to know about the person standing ten feet away from him. Aaron.

"Relax, kid." Vincent said stoically as he quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, and stood up. He backed away from Will's gravesite, and held up his hands in defense. "I dropped my wallet somewhere around here, and was trying to look for it."

"You're lying," Aaron immediately answered, "I heard you talkin' to my dad's tomb; I'll ask again nicely, who are you?" The young man cautiously approached Vincent, but the beast dared not move. He couldn't risk his nephew learning of his face, and then finding out what he really is.

Aaron's heart was beating exponentially fast. Vincent could sense his nephew's nervous curiosity. "I think you already know…Aaron." Vincent knew Aaron recognized his voice—he had heard it before a few months back. Aaron shined his flashlight into Vincent's face, and nearly jumped out of his shoes. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Vincent teased, but there wasn't any joy hinted within his vocal tone.

"You have no right being here," Aaron replied with a frown when he recovered from his shock. "I don't care _what_ Mom says, you shouldn't be here."

"Why's that?" Vincent crossed his arms against his chest and looked at his nephew, challenging his spirit.

"Because you decided to hide out for 11 years, instead of coming home and letting us know you were alive." Aaron replied, still frowning. "My mom was glad to learn of your little Jack Bauer story; at first, I was too. But then I remembered the fires; you were within two feet of me, and yet you lied to my face."

"Aaron," Vincent walked towards his nephew, but Aaron stepped backwards. "I can expl—"

"Explain?! You think you can explain telling the world you're alive, but still made no effort to visit or reconnect with family?! I told my mom we should confront you; however, she believed we needed to wait until you were ready to visit us. Your life was obviously different now, and you apparently went through a lot. I figured what the hell, you know? You'd drop by soon enough. _That_ was about two months ago, and you still haven't done anything. I told my mom not to sweat over it; you didn't care about us—hell, for all we knew, you didn't even remember us."

"I didn't," Vincent quickly replied, "At, first, in the hospital, I didn't remember you. Yes, I had lost my memory, but upon our encounter, I regained bits and pieces of my past. You were a kid the last time I saw you, so I didn't expect you to remember me either."

"So that time, in the hospital, when you were having some sort of panic attack—you were having a flashback?"

"You could say that. I remembered you and your mother as well as William back at that hospital." Vincent nodded.

"So you're telling me you've known about Mom and me for months, and yet you _still_ decided to ignore your family."

"That's not what I said."

"That's what you meant." Aaron fired back.

Vincent felt the beast resonating within his body. He swallowed a gulp of cold air, and released a sigh to help calm down his nerves. "Look, Aaron. I know I have no right to receive the Uncle of the Year Award, but let's not do this now. Yeah?"

"Why not? Afraid of confrontation?"

"No. Look," Vincent sighed, "I don't have the best control when I'm angry; when I get angry, bad things happen. So, for both of our sakes, I'm going to jet before the storm starts to thunder and lightning."

Vincent started to walk away, but Aaron grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "I'm not done yet."

"Trust me, kid, you are." Vincent replied as he closed his eyes to swallow his beast's anger.

"Look," Aaron released Vincent's arm, "At least, before you leave, I want some explanations. Who knows if I'll ever see you again, Uncle Vincent." This wasn't the fire inspector talking—it was the needy, little boy Vincent knew and loved oh so many years ago.

Vincent sighed. "You really want to do this now?"

"Yes."

"Fine," Vincent forced out. "You want to know the reason I didn't show up after making the National News?" Aaron nodded, but didn't say anything. "For one reason, I've been dealing with quite a lot of shit lately; I haven't had time to think about a happy family reunion since I came out of the shadows. Oh and another thing? When I _did_ think about it, I realized I should just stay away. Bad things happen around me, and I didn't want to get you or your mother in the crossfire. Also, like you said, I've been dead for eleven years—I've been in hiding from a large threat, and just when I thought I was in the clearing, another damned faction wants to get their hands on me. Now you tell me, Aaron, if I _had_ returned home, would you and your mother still look at me the same way? Or, would you think I'm some walking time bomb just waiting to explode in your household?"

"I'm sure we would have adjusted," Aaron replied.

"Maybe, or _maybe_ you'd find out just how screwed up I am, and then want nothing more to do with me. Bad things happen around me, and I mean it." Vincent stated boldly. "Now, I've got somewhere to be."

It wasn't a total lie, just a ruse to get out from underneath Aaron's microscope.

"If it's PTSD…"

Vincent rolled his eyes, "It's not PTSD, Aaron. I can assure you of that."

"Then what is it?"

"I wish I could tell ya, kid." Vincent replied. Before he could say anything else, his phone had buzzed inside his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it, waving a 'one-moment' finger at his nephew. "Hello?"

" _V, you've gotta get down to Gabe's loft and quick!"_ JT stated without greeting him.

"Why?"

" _Just get here!"_

"Wait…Why're you at Gabe's in the first place?" Vincent asked, perplexed.

" _No time for explanations! Just get your beasty ass over here! Oh, and if Cat's with you, bring her too."_

"She's not with me."

Vincent heard JT's gulp echo from the phone. _"On second thought, don't come here; go find Catherine. Tess and I will handle the Gabe situation here."_

"What Gabe situation? What're you talking about?" Vincent demanded to know. His heart raced tenfold as JT struggled to find his words.

Suddenly, he heard some noises in the background and _"Hey!"_ sounding from his phone's speaker. _"Vincent,"_ this time, it was Tess. _"Someone from a lower apartment called 911 about thirty minutes ago. The new boss knew I lived near Gabe's penthouse, so he asked me to jump the scene. We got here as soon as possible, and managed to arrive before the rest of the units. We found Gabe lying on the floor—he had three tranquilizer darts sticking out of his right leg, but there's no sign of Catherine. According to JT, Gabe's been down for the count for about thirty minutes now._

"Say no more," Vincent replied to Tess, "I'll find her."

" _Wait,"_ Tess quickly said, _"You need to know something."_

"What?"

" _On our way up here, we found a trail of blood tracking back to the parking garage."_

"Why do I get the feeling you haven't said the worse part yet?" Vincent's stomach dropped.

" _Because I haven't. Vincent…Cat's car is not in the garage, and she's not answering her cell phone."_

In seconds, Vincent ended the call and shoved his phone into his pocket. He started to storm off but Aaron stopped him. "So that's it? You get one phone call and you're leaving?"

"I'm sorry, but someone I deeply care about could be in danger. I've already lost her to another man tonight." He swallowed, "I refuse to lose her for a second time. You might be too young to understand, but sometimes the answer "no" is not an option."

"You love someone…" Aaron stated.

"Yes, I do. She means the world to me, and I'm fine with her being with another man if it makes her happy. However, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happens to her."

"Go, then. If she's in danger, she's going to need you more than I do right now."

Vincent looked at him in shock, and then smiled softly. "You know, you turned out all right, kid."

"Hey, I might be a stubborn hothead, but I'm not a dumbass." Aaron smirked. "Now what're you waiting for? Get your ass out of here; I don't want to see you until she's safe and sound."

"Count on it." Vincent nodded. With heart and mind set for Catherine, Vincent raced away from the cemetery—not caring what his nephew might think. That would be tomorrow's problem.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent zipped through the underbelly of the city, and didn't stop running until he was standing in front of Catherine's apartment complex. He jumped up and landed on her fire escape before forcing her window open. Thankfully, it wasn't locked, but he was in a hurry. He could smell her blood a mile back. After he climbed through her window, he could see blood trailing into her bedroom and inside her bathroom. First, he turned on her bathroom's light and prayed that she was in there. She wasn't. However, the pile of blood staining the white tiles did not go unnoticed. Neither did her torn dress.

He walked out into her hallway, and panicked when he saw a pale, lifeless hand beyond her couch. "Catherine!" he called out her name as he ran to her. She was completely naked and blood was pouring out of her stomach. However, he didn't care about her nakedness. It wasn't the first time he's seen her naked body.

By the large puddle growing around her as well as the droplets trailing around her apartment, he had to guess that she had to have lost at least 20% of her blood.

He pressed his hands against her stomach to try and slow down the bleeding. His mind was racing; at that point, he didn't care what or who had done this. He only wanted her alive again. Her skin was pale and clammy; she was sweating, breathing rapidly and unconsciousness. Hypervolemic shock. Vincent swallowed a lump of bile as he tried to stop more blood from leaving his love's body. There was only so much he could do. He repositioned her body and elevated her feet about a foot into the air.

There was nothing he could do here—she needed a hospital. He noticed her phone buzzing amongst the items scattered about the kitchen floor. He took off his jacket and placed it over her to try and keep her warm. As he kept pressure on her stomach with one hand, he reached for her phone, and ended the oncoming call. Quickly and desperately, Vincent punched nine once and one twice with his thumb. He placed the phone against his ear, and held it with his shoulder blade as he applied more pressure to her stomach. Her breathing was becoming shallower.

When the phone didn't connect, he pulled it from his ear and checked its battery status. 5 % left. Damn! He didn't have time to wait for an ambulance anyway; he could get Catherine to a hospital faster than if a Ferrari was pulling an ambulance across the highway. In seconds, he raced away from her in search of medical supplies. He found a large, tubular compression gauze bandage in her bathroom sink. It would have to do. He returned to her limp body, and carefully wrapped the bandage around her abdomen. It wouldn't stop the bleeding per se, but it would slow it down and buy him some time as he moved her to a hospital. He unbuckled his belt, wrapped it around the gauze and tightened the leathered strap as much as possible without hindering her ability to breathe.

It was only a matter of time before death would claim her. He needed to act fast, and the best thing for her was a hospital. Noticing her bathrobe hanging on the couch's armrest, he grabbed it and slipped it on her to keep her warm. After securing her in his arms, he kept her legs elevated, and headed for her fire escape. In seconds, he jumped onto the street and started running towards New York General. Flashes of her step-father's wedding flooded into his mind as he carried her close to him. Last time, he made the mistake of forcing someone else to take her to the hospital; this time, however, things will be different.

She was going to get the proper care she needed; he wasn't going to leave her side until she was stabilized. Then, he would find out who the hell did this to her, and he will kill him. Claw marks, as large as they were on Catherine's stomach, weren't from just any animal or knife—they belonged to a beast.

"Just hang on, Catherine. Please, hang on for me." He prayed to her as he ran through the dark, midnight streets of New York City. "Please."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER: I am not sure how long it has been since the "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" episode, but for this FanFiction, I have the power invested in me to make it about 2.5 months… I remember some episodes were only within a day a part (like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "Man or Beast," and "Don't Die On Me."
> 
> Even if it has been more than 2.5 months in the actual TV show time, just bear with me. ^_^

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 3**

****

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Hours have passed since Catherine's surgery, but her body was in dire condition; she had lost up to 50 percent of her blood upon Vincent's arrival to the hospital. If he had arrived a moment later, the doctors mightn't have gotten to her in time. During surgery, she had to have an emergency splenectomy, causing her to go into Hypovolemic Shock twice. Vincent was stir-crazy throughout the entire operation; he wanted to oversee the medical team work diligently on his love, but at the same time, he wasn't sure he could handle it. It sickened him to see her so helpless, but because he wasn't a licensed doctor anymore her life was out of his hands.

Now, she lay on a hospital bed in ICU, fighting for her life.

She was stabilized, for now, but there was no telling what could happen in the future. The doctors believe that as long as she doesn't contract an infection, she should recover in time, but she will be out of commission for several weeks if not months depending on her condition when or if she leaves the hospital.

"It will be okay, V. You'll see." JT whispered as Vincent covered his hand over Catherine's. "She's a fighter."

Vincent didn't say anything. He wanted all of his time and energy to be focused on Catherine. If she made the slightest movement or sign of consciousness, he wanted to be the first to know about it. Not once did he move from his spot since she was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit. Every time he heard her breathe harsh, ragged breaths, his insides ached. He hated seeing her hooked up to so many machines. What's worse? He knew how each of them functioned and the fact that the love of his life was hooked up to a ventilator and a feeding tube wasn't a good sign.

Normally the hospital wouldn't let patients have visitors so late within the night, but since Captain Vincent Keller seemed to be 'more than just an acquaintance' to Detective Catherine Chandler, they made an exception. After all, the former soldier, at one time, used to serve as a doctor in one of the neighboring hospitals. The medical staff had no choice but to let Tess and JT in as well—how could they resist saying no to an NYPD official?

"Come on, JT; let's leave Vincent alone. He's obviously not in the right mind to talk right now." Tess whispered. "Let's get some coffee. God knows I need it."

"Okay," JT nodded. He patted his best friend on the back of his shoulder before following Tess out of Catherine's hospital room. When they were half way down the hallway, JT finally said, "So, you think Gabe did this to her?"

"Who else could it be?" Tess asked as she looked at the professor. "I mean, I doubt Vincent would ever hurt her like that, and I'm pretty sure all other beasts were eliminated. Besides, you saw the blood on Gabe's fingertips; not to mention the tranquilizer darts."

"I know, but how could we have missed it? Again?! He was able to hide his beast so well in the past using those freakin' pills. Why didn't Vincent sense anything from him like he did before?" JT sighed. "Honestly, that ADA has no limits when it comes to him getting on my nerves."

"No kidding. I feel bad, though. I was the one who encouraged Cat to date him…." Tess confessed. "If only I had kn—"

"Hey, it's not your fault, Tess. No one could have known, besides, if V couldn't sense Gabe on his internal Beast-O-Meter, what makes you think you would have?" JT raised his eyebrow as the semi-couple took their seats inside the hospital's café. Tess shrugged so JT continued. "Anyway, Gabe is locked up—there's nothing he can do to hurt Cat as long as he remains in that dungeon we found a few weeks ago."

"That's all great, but there's always a chance someone my stumble upon that dungeon. Then what would we do?" Tess questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her chair. "Induce Brain Wash on anyone and everyone who comes across the dungeon by accident?"

"That's actually not a bad idea." JT smiled.

Tess smacked him in the arm. "We are _not_ doing that."

"I was only kidding! You know, lighting up the mood?" JT threw his arms up in defense. "I installed a surveillance system inside and outside of the dungeon for multiple reasons. One, in case someone _does_ wonder over in that direction, I can press a button on my computer, and the whole building goes on lockdown. Two, now that we have a prisoner in there, I'll be able to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything sketchy while he's held captive. So, you shouldn't worry Tess. V and I had this all figured out days ago."

"You anticipated throwing Gabe down there?" Tess raised her eyebrow and crossed her right knee over her other.

"No, of course not. However, we figured the dungeon could come to use in case we _do_ encounter other beasts. Vincent made it clear that he wants to try to stop killing beasts…that is, if he ever runs across one again. He wants Cat back so he's going to try his best and behave himself." JT stated and took off his glasses to clean them with his plaid shirt. "However, _if_ Gabe was the one who attacked Catherine—I can't say for sure that he did since I haven't tested the blood I scraped off of his fingers yet—but, if he did, I have a feeling Vincent isn't going to shed the guy any mercy."

"You're probably right." She sighed. "I guess this is just going to be one of those things we'll have to play by ear."

"Touché." JT nodded. Quietly, he stood up and stretched his legs. "I'm going to get some coffee. What would you like?"

"Caramel Macchiato would be great." Tess faked a smile. It was hard to show happiness when, in the back of her mind, all she could think of was Cat. The doctors have done all they could do for her—now, it was Cat's turn to show the world how strong she is.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent grew weary, but he refused to fall asleep. He couldn't risk not being there for her if she needed him. As he leaned over to kiss her forehead, he heard someone walk into the room. "How'd you get in here?" He didn't have to turn around to know who it was standing behind him.

"I told the staff you were my uncle—which is true—so they let me in. Forget about me, though, how is she?" Aaron asked as he walked further into the room. "She's the one who was with you when you helped us on that Arson case, right?"

"Yeah. She's the one." Vincent flashed a fake smile. "Anyway, she's stable right now. She had massive hemorrhaging so the doctors have been giving her blood transfusions almost every two hours. She's fighting for her life right now…"

"If she can handle you, she must be one tough-ass woman. She'll make it." Aaron placed his hand on his uncle's shoulder. "Have you gotten the bastard who did this to her?"

"I've been here with her all night, but the situation is being taken care of." Vincent confirmed. "Once Catherine's on the road to recovery, I'll make sure to pay him a visit."

"So he's locked up?"

"Sort of…" was all Vincent would say.

"By the way," Aaron continued, "I won't pry or anything but just answer one question."

"What?"

"Did you go into hiding for ten years because of what the army _did_ to you?" Aaron asked, not blinking for a second.

"W-what do mean?" Vincent stuttered, "like steroids or something?"

"Or something."

Vincent turned his attention back to Catherine. "I think it's time for you to go home, Aaron. Your mom must be worried sick."

"Look, like I said, I'm not a dumbass. It wasn't hard to put two and two together, Uncle V. I saw you disappear like a boss earlier tonight—don't try to deny it or tell me it was too dark because we both know I had a flashlight with me. I don't need to know details or hear your sob story. I just want to know the answer to that one question."

Vincent sighed. "Yes. I went into hiding because of what happened to me over there. That's all you need to know, and that's probably all I'll ever tell you. Like I said earlier tonight, bad things happen to me—especially those who know my secret." When he said that last bit, he squeezed Catherine's hand, mentally praying that she would show some sign of life.

"Did you tell her that?" Aaron asked, nodding towards Catherine.

"She knew the risks." Vincent replied.

"So, I'm guessing someone 'like' you did that to her?"

"Smart kid." Vincent nodded. "Now, unless you want the other doctors to learn that I actually know _what_ did this to her, we've gotta move onto a different subject. As far as the hospital knows, Catherine suffered from an animal attack."

"Fair enough." Aaron nodded. "So, when are you going to see my mom?"

"You're honestly asking that? Now?" Vincent looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just testing you; wanted to see where your priorities lie. It's obvious you have quite a moral compass." Aaron smirked.

"Not moral," Vincent shook his head. "Loyal, maybe, but not moral."

"I see." Aaron answered awkwardly.

"Yeah."

"So…have the two of you been…you know…since you came back from Afghanistan?" Aaron asked, trying to diffuse the tension.

"No…, but I'm not going to share my love life with you; that's just too weird." Vincent replied.

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

"No. I am right."

"Sure."

"Do you…have a girlfriend?" Vincent asked, but keeping his attention on Catherine.

"Not at the moment." Aaron scratched his head.

"Too bad." Vincent forced a smirk. "Then again, I'm not sure there's a woman alive who could handle your cocky attitude other than your mother."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Aaron rolled his eyes. "It's been a nice chat, I guess, but you're right; I should be getting home. I'll try to stop by sometime tomorrow to see how she's doing." Aaron said as he started to stand up and stretch his legs. "Hang in there, Uncle V. If she loves you as much as you think she does, she'll pull through."

"Thanks." Vincent nodded before his nephew left the ICU. Vincent honestly didn't know _where_ her heart lay. He hoped it was with him, but for twisted humor's sake, she might be in love with Gabe instead.

God. He hoped not.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

About an hour later, Vincent heard two pairs of footsteps making their way back into Catherine's room. They were bickering about something, but because Vincent was focused on Catherine's total being, he didn't really pay them any attention. Upon entering into the room, JT and Tess immediately stopped talking.

"Is she doing any better?"

"No…the same." Vincent replied.

At least he was socializing, JT thought.

"That's good at least." Tess smiled. "Being stable has to count for something, right?"

"Right." JT agreed. "Soon enough, Cat will be as good as new! You'll see!"

"We shall see." He sighed.

"Anyway," Tess cleared her throat, causing both men to look at her. "A warm and cozy conversation is not why we came up here, Vincent."

"Then what?" Vincent gave Tess a questioning look. He glanced over at JT who was giving Tess a 'WTF' look. Something was wrong. He could sense it.

"This isn't easy for me to say…, but I think you at least should know about it before it's made public." Tess replied.

"What is it?"

"Ixnay on the alkingtay…" JT mumbled, causing Tess to roll her eyes and Vincent to glare at him. "Please continue, Tess." He added, not liking the chills he received from Vincent's death glare.

"As I was saying…I just got a call from one of our CSU specialists, and because the landlord noticed blood trailing to Cat's apartment, they were called in to investigate. They didn't find any evidence linking Cat's assault to Gabe…if it be him…; however, they did find something else…."

"What did they find?"

"…a fetus…"

"What?" Vincent asked, in shock. "What are you saying, Tess?"

"I'm saying Cat was pregnant when she was attacked." Tess said slowly.

Vincent felt sick. "Why are you telling me this? Should you be telling _Gabe_ about it?"

"You're not getting what I'm saying, Vincent." Tess sighed. "If the child was Gabe's, I would have told him…or maybe I wouldn't have. But that's beside the point." She shook her head. "It was confirmed by CSU that the fetus…which they found amongst the blood in her bathroom…was at least 10 weeks….dating back to around Thanksgiving time. Now, think really hard, Vincent…. Did the two of you ever…"

Vincent clamped his mouth with his hands. The last time he and Catherine were romantically involved was back at Reynolds's house….which was Thanksgiving Day. Vincent gulped. "She was…pregnant…with…with my…." He couldn't even finish the statement. "Why didn't she tell me?!" He frowned, his eyes starting to glow.

"I don't think she knew." Tess replied. "After everything that's happened, are you surprised? When would she have had time to get a pregnancy test? Besides, not all women get sickness, Vincent; Catherine's no exception."

"But…if she was carrying _my_ DNA…, it sh-should hav—"

"Not necessarily," JT cut in. "V, since you've been injected, have you ever gotten sick?"

"No."

"Then since the fetus carried half of your DNA in it, it probably prevented Cat from getting sick." JT stated.

Vincent took a moment to absorb all of this information. "I know this might sound insensitive and horrible, but we need to get that fetus back…. Like JT said, it has…or had my DNA within it…if someone tests for the father…there's no telling what he or she might find."

" _We'll_ worry about that," Tess stated as she nodded her head towards JT. "You, however, get some sleep. The doctors will be here if Catherine needs anything."

"I don't think I can sleep…"

"Try, V. Just try." JT said. Before he knew it, he was once alone with Catherine in the hospital room. He turned to her and leaned over to kiss her head again.

Against her ear, he whispered, "Stay strong, Catherine. I know you can fight. Give everything you've got. Our story isn't over yet, my love. Our story isn't over yet."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 4**

** **

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

She could hear, but she couldn't respond. She could feel, but she couldn't react. She could exist, but she couldn't _be_.

She heard beeps, lots and lots of beeping noises. She heard incoherent voices talking around her, near her, beside her. Their words were disjointed; it was like she was trapped inside a room, and people were trying to talk to her through a wall, but she couldn't understand them.

She felt pain; it wasn't intense but her agony was slowly trying to resurface, and she hated the feeling of discomfort. She felt weak; air was pumping in and out of her lungs, but she knew she wasn't the one forcing the action. She tried moving her fingers; she couldn't. She tried speaking, but her throat burned. However, despite the uneasiness she felt, _he_ was holding her hand and kissing her forehead. _He_ was next to her—he loved her; she could feel it, sense it and embrace it. _He_ was the reason she wasn't ready to let go.

Catherine knew something was wrong with her; her mind was awake, but something was keeping her from waking up. For all she knew, it could have been the anesthetics or even trauma. Whatever it was, she didn't like feeling trapped and helpless. She wanted to wake up and embrace the man sitting next to her, but she couldn't.

Aware, but never fully awake.

As she felt Vincent's hand holding her own, she heard a female voice—possibly Tess—say something. She didn't make out the entire conversation, but for some reason, her mind was able to process one word: Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving…

Thanks…giving…

Thanks…

…giving…

" _You've been so worried about what's been going on, but you are fine." She smiled at him lovingly. Without warning, she gently grabs his face with her hands and pulls him into a short kiss._

_Vincent pulls back and smirks, "No, no, no, no; it's your_ _**Dad** _ _'s place."_

_Catherine grinned as she scrunched up her nose. "Oh, it's like we're in high school!"_

" _Or an alternate universe." Vincent replies, causing Catherine to laugh. Catherine kisses him again, and cups his neck. This time, Vincent didn't complain. As their kisses deepened, Catherine snaked her arms around Vincent's broad shoulders and ran her left hand through his hair. She could feel Vincent's arms enclosing around her back as he pulled her closer to him._

_As minutes flew by, clothes were tossed in different directions, and the two lovers melted into one another, not caring for the guttural noises they were creating while making love._

_Catherine closed her eyes as she felt her boyfriend's large hands caressing her body. He was careful in every way, but at the same time, he had managed to set her body on fire. Despite his memory lapse, she could feel…no…sense how much Vincent Keller loves her. She hoped, soon, that the love of her life would eventually regain all of the memories he had lost while missing for three long months._

_Although she had adjusted her life to the new Vincent Keller making love with her, their relationship still wasn't the same as it had been; she still felt like something was missing—something other than his memories._

" _What's on your mind?" Vincent asked as he ran his fingers through her sweaty, matted hair._

" _It's nothing." She smiled at him before placing a light kiss on his large palm._

" _No really, what is it?" he sneered as his fingers started tickling her naked stomach. She giggled and squirmed from his delightful touch, but she certainly was no match for a beast. If anything, she managed to slip from underneath the covers and jog away from the bed. Vincent easily caught up to her, and grabbed her hand, pulling her into his strong embrace. His arms were wrapped firmly around her middle, and her back was leaning against his chest. Vincent kissed the top of her head as he walked over to the window. The sheer white curtains masked their nakedness from the rest of the world, but it didn't stop them from being able to look outside and marvel the outdoors._

" _I was just thinking about us, that's all." Catherine muttered. She spun around in his arms, and gave Vincent a very sincere look. "Do you think you'll ever fully remember me?"_

" _I don't know." Vincent replied honestly. He brought his left hand to the back of her head, and cradled it as his fingers tangled into her hair. "But…if it'll make you feel better, I hope they do come back."_

" _Do you?"_

_Vincent nodded. He leaned down and gave Catherine a sweet kiss. "Look on the bright side, Catherine; even though I might not be able to remember everything right now, we are still able to create_ _**new** _ _memories with one another."_

_Catherine smiled lightly. "You're right."_

" _I know." He smirked. Before any more words were said, he pulled her in for another deep kiss. She wrapped her arms and legs around his standing form, and poured her heart, mind and soul into the man kissing her lips. "Now," Vincent gently ripped his lips away from hers, and leaned his forehead against hers. "If we want to be downstairs in time for dinner, we're going to need to clean up, and head back downstairs."_

" _Shower sex?" she sneered, "I'm down for that."_

_Vincent laughed. "Good to know." He placed his hands firmly on her buttocks to keep her from falling off of him, and walked towards the bathroom. "How long do you think we have until Gabe gets here?"_

" _An hour? Maybe less?" Catherine shrugged._

_Vincent sighed with frustration. "Looks like we're going to have to take a rain check on the Double 'S'. I can hear your phone buzzing; it's probably Gabe letting you know he's not far from Montauk."_

" _We could always skip the dinner and go straight to dessert," Catherine smiled devilishly._

" _As tempting as that sounds," Vincent chuckled as he closed the door to the bathroom, "I don't think it would make a very great impression on your Dad…. He_ _ **is**_ _FBI, you know."_

_Catherine laughed as she watched Vincent turn on the shower faucet before stepping both of them into the shower chamber. "Are you afraid of my father—of Bob?"_

" _Should I not be?"_

" _I think, with the two of us, we can handle_ _ **anything**_ _together. I know you can't remember this…but the morning before Muirfield captured you, I had told you that I was going to stay for the ups and downs and the loop-di-loops. I just want you to know that it still stands; no matter what happens…no matter if you do or do not ever recover your memories…I won't go anywhere." Catherine replied. "I promise."_

" _I'm going to hold you to that, Catherine." he mumbled before pulling her in for another kiss as the hot, steamy water engulfed them. Catherine clutched the back of Vincent's hair as she felt his lips trail down her neck and towards her breast. Despite their concerns about the Thanksgiving dinner or about Gabe, neither lover could help themselves; their unsaid love and their bodies were drawn to one another._

" _I love you, Vincent" Catherine mumbled against Vincent's wet skin as she kissed his collarbone. For whatever reason, Vincent had not heard her. He didn't stop to look at her or whisper "I love you" back. Catherine assumed he was too preoccupied with_ _ **what**_ _she was doing to him to perceive anything more than pleasure. She didn't mind though; there would be another time and different day to restate her feelings for him again._

' _One day, Vincent,' she thought, 'you'll find out just how much I love you. God. I love you so much, Vincent…'_

_Vincent._

_Vin…cent…_

"Vih…Vih…Vih…seh…" she heard her voice say as her lips tried to form the name engraved on her heart. There were too many tubes inside her mouth. She wanted to speak…to say his name without fail, but she couldn't.

Slowly, she was able to open her eyes; light shot into her pupils, making her eyes squint in pain.

She groaned in response.

She wanted to turn her head and look at the man she loved, but it was those damned tubes again!

She knew he was still in the room because his hand was covering hers; however, for some reason, he didn't hear her calling out for him. When she heard his peaceful snores, she understood why he didn't respond to her. Sometimes, even a beast, needs his rest.

So, she tried speaking louder.

"Viiih…Sehhh."

Still, the man was asleep.

Catherine refused to give up. Vincent would hear her eventually. As she called out his name again, she managed to caress his hand with her thumb. Perhaps a touch might suffice?

_Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…_

She could hear all of the different monitors bleeping in her ears, but she didn't want to hear those damn monitors. She wanted to hear _him_. So, she willed herself to try harder. "Viiihcehh."

She could feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Her voice continued to burn as she continually called out his name. She couldn't give up, but she was starting to worry about him. What if his constant worry over her drained his energy?

One last time, she called for him as loud as she could, and was at the point where she wanted to chuck him in the head with something hard. Had his worry really cause so much exhaustion? "Viiihcehh!"

Suddenly, she heard him snort himself awake to the sound of her voice. "C-Catherine?" his voice was filled with surprise, but mostly full of relief. She saw him hover over her, and could feel more tears fall from her eyes when she finally met his eyes. "Oh, thank God!" He exclaimed and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead.

He clasped her left hand within his palms and pulled her fingers to his face so she could feel him. She was still very weak from the amount of blood she had lost. Much of it has recovered, but she still felt very wobbly and out of sorts. When she touched his lips with her fingertips, she wanted to smile. She wanted to pull him down and kiss him right then and there.

Obviously, fantasies were going to have to wait.

"Thank God…," he repeated. "Thank God!"

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"She's awake." Vincent whispered into his cell phone as he watched Catherine try to keep her eyes open. He couldn't blame her for wanting to stay awake; she's been unconscious for almost 12 hours—an amount of time that would make anyone want to never fall asleep again.

" _What? How? When?"_ Vincent heard JT ask in full-panic mode.

"Don't worry about it," Vincent shook his head. "Just…Just know that she's awake. She cannot talk right now because of the ventilator and the feeding tube, but she _is_ wake. I thought you and Tess would want to know."

" _Thanks, buddy. By the way, we recovered the…item. I took it back to my lab for a further analysis."_

"Thanks…I've gotta go, now. The doctor is on his way in."

" _Okay…Take care."_

"Thanks." Vincent nodded before ending his phone call. He stared at Catherine, and held her hand until Dr. Miller, the head of the department, walked into the room. "Is everything all right?"

"Some of Miss Chandler's blood tests came back; for a woman who endures a severe injury to the abdomen, it is imperative to test for pregnancy whether or not the patient is pregnant. During surgery, Miss Chandler," Dr. Miller said as he looked directly at her, "there wasn't a sign of a child, but tests show you are pregnant. Because of the extent of her surgery and injury, she will not be released for at least two weeks; we need to monitor her pregnancy—be that she might be pregnant—as well as ensure she does not develop Peritonitis."

Vincent mentally slapped himself. He hadn't had a chance to tell Catherine about the miscarriage, and since the doctors haven't ordered an ultrasound, they don't know either. "Doc…do you mind if I have a word with you in the hallway?"

"Of course, right this way." Dr. Miller nodded as he led Vincent to the hallway. "What is it?"

"About Catherine's pregnancy…," Vincent paused, "…she's not pregnant."

"She's not?"

"No. When I found her…, I didn't say anything to her or to the medical team because I thought it would be irrelevant, but I found…the fetus…mixed in with her blood in the bathroom." Vincent somewhat lied. Most of it was true, just the part about him finding the fetus wasn't.

"Are you sure you found a fetus?"

"Yes, Dr. Miller, I am. I used to practice as a doctor myself; I would know." Vincent replied. "Is there anything else you want to tell Catherine?"

"No. I mainly visited to inform her of her prolonged stay in the hospital." The doctor said. "I must attend the rest of my rounds; I'm sure she's in good hands."

"Thanks." Vincent nodded as the doctor left him. He walked back inside Catherine's hospital room and took a seat next to her. "Hey," he smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"H-hiiii." She answered hoarsely.

"Listen…about what the doctor said…, you're not pregnant." Vincent replied sympathetically. He held her hand in his, and continued when she gave him a strange look. "The CSU team who investigated your room after you were brought to the hospital…well, they found…found a fetus within your blood inside the bathroom."

Catherine blinked once, and then twice. It was almost as if she was having a hard time understanding what Vincent was saying. Her face turned green. "I…waaa…prehhhgnehh?"

"Yeah… _we_ were going to have a baby." He sadly smiled. "But…, I guess _this time_ wasn't meant to be." He kissed her forehead and walked over to the other side of the bed before merging into bed with her. He held her gently, careful not to mess with her stitches or any of her tubes and wires. He helped her turn her face slightly so she could see him; tears were falling from her eyes. Vincent kissed her cheek as he ran his right palm over her slender arm. He laced his fingers with hers, and whispered, "Whatever you're thinking, it wasn't your fault."

Her lips were quivering; it was almost as if she was trying to cry but her vocal chords weren't letting her. He kissed her again; this time, his lips were pressing against the corner of her mouth. "Someday we'll try again, all right?"

She looked at him, her eyes gaining a little bit of hope.

"I promise…" Vincent mumbles against her jawline. "When…when things blow over for us, and when you and I can be together without having to have to fear about the next, big thing, we can then try again."

"Yuuuu…wahhhh…chiiil-eh [You want children]?"

"You have no idea," he responded before kissing her shoulder.

As if a wave of emotion washed over the detective, tears started to spill from her eyes. She was so happy that _her_ Vincent is back; he was thinking about their future as a couple. "I…luhhh…yuuu."

"I love you too." Vincent smiled and closed his eyes. Both Beauty and the Beast needed their sleep. Since Catherine was awake, he wanted to let Gabe have it. 'But,' he yawned, 'he decided that _Gabe_ would be tomorrow's problem. Right now, he planned on being there for Catherine; he wasn't going to let her out of his sight ever again.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**There will be a few IMPORTANT notes at the end of this chapter!**

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 5**

** **

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

While Vincent was still at the hospital with Catherine, JT and Tess decided to go to the dungeon in downtown New York, and play 20 Questions with former-ADA-to-be Gabriel Lowan. It has been three days since the incident, and now that the doctors were sure that Catherine was going to survive, they thought it was high time to get some answers from Gabe—even if he wasn't willing to talk.

"Remember," Tess said before either of them got out of the Hatchback, "whatever we do or say to Gabe, do _not_ open up the cell. The last thing we need is a rogue beast on our hands."

"Don't have to tell me twice," JT stated as he grabbed his tranquilizer gun. "If it was up to me, I would leave Gabe down there until he rots his ass off—especially after what he's done to Cat."

"Believe me," Tess nodded, "I want the same thing as well. However, we've got to tread this one carefully; Gabe _is_ an ADA—he'll know how to counter any case we build against him. Not to mention, he has a lot of buddies so _someone_ might report him missing."

JT pressed his lips together as he acknowledged Tess's concern, "Yeah…. Well, I took his phone from him the night of the accident while he was in Dopey Land; maybe, after we learn a few answers, I can use his phone to send out a mass text, telling all of his buddies that he's going on a trip to Argentina."

"Don't you think that'll sound a little conspicuous?" Tess raised her eyebrow. "It's a cute idea, JT, but people already think he's going to Mexico. Maybe we should stick with that plan." Tess placed her hand on JT's shoulder, and squeezed it. "Thanks for thinking about Cat, though. If it were me, I would personally send Gabe to a place like Argentina myself. Unfortunately, if I did, we wouldn't have jurisdiction over there."

"Good point." JT said as he pulled his keys out of his car, and unlocked all of the doors. "Now, let's inquisitize that bastard. I want to know what he did to revert his change; last I checked, Gabe was 100% human. I want to know what changed."

"I think we all do." Tess replied as both of them stepped out of the car, closed the car doors and headed for the Beast Dungeon. They were going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent watched Catherine's chest as it heaved up and down while she breathed. It had been an hour since she had woke up, but she was so tired that Vincent ordered her to go back to sleep. At first, she had argued, but eventually sleep washed over her. Occasionally, doctors and nurses would pop in to check on Catherine's vitals and numbers, but Vincent didn't seem to mind. They were doing their jobs, after all.

Even though Catherine was responsive, it killed Vincent to look at her so helplessly. He should have been there for her. He lied to her before when she had asked about Gabe possibly being a beast. Had he sensed it? No. However, for the longest time, he felt something was off about the man. Unfortunately, he decided that negative feeling was nothing more than jealousy, and left it at that. He wanted Catherine to be happy so he pushed her towards Gabe. If he had only told her of the truth…of the feeling he felt every time he was near Gabe…she would have _not_ been in the hospital, nor would she be fighting for her life.

Her stomach injuries were severe; luckily, Gabe's claws did not tear apart her intestines, but they did rip through her stomach tissue. Until her scars fully heal, she won't be able to do many things, especially her job. As Vincent watched Catherine sleep, he heard someone walk into the room. "Well, isn't _this_ depressing."

Vincent whipped his head around, and saw Sam standing in the doorway. Instantly, he stood up and blocked Catherine from the psycho's view. "Sam."

"I'm flattered, Vincent. You remembered my name." Sam smirked. The crazed man walked towards Vincent, but every time he stepped towards Catherine's bed, Vincent would imitate his moves, and continue protecting his girlfriend from Sam. "I can see that you _still_ don't trust me."

"My trust is running thin these days." Vincent replied.

"As it should be; you are a beast after all." Sam chuckled.

"Why are you here, Sam?"

"Can I not check up on a friend? Catherine _did_ reunite me with my…my wife, Dana. I owe her a lot." Sam said solemnly as if he was trying to trick Vincent into thinking he was actually upset for Dana's 'death.'

"Well she's fine. You can leave." Vincent said quickly.

"I'm glad she's going to have a full recovery, then. I hope you find her attacker and exact justice. It would be a shame for Miss Chandler's assailant to get away with what he's done; even an ADA doesn't deserve to have a free pass."

Before Vincent could say anything, Sam walked out of the room and disappeared down the hall. _'Well, that was odd_ ,' Vincent thought as he sat back down. He laced his fingers with Catherine's, and pulled her hand up to his lips.

Suddenly, something dawned on him—never did he once tell Sam who had attacked Catherine. _'Something's not right…_ ' As he looked at Catherine, he decided he could wait until she was better to get to the bottom of this; he needed to be with Catherine—not exacting justice. The _last_ thing he needs is another bullet to his gut.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Gabe, I'm not messing around; you either answer our damned questions or you suffer from the barrel of my gun." Tess stated as she cocked her gun and pointed it directly between Gabe's eyes. "I know you tried to kill Catherine so I won't have a problem killing you with my bare hands."

"I told you everything I remember, Tess," Gabe replied with a domineering smile. "Must we go over it again?"

"We're not buying into your load of _crap_ , Gabe." JT frowned, "You're going to answer our questions whether you like it or not."

"You want to bet?" Gabe challenged. He leaned backwards against the wall, and smirked. "You have _nothing_ on me, my friends. Forensics won't be able to make a connection between my DNA as well as the animalistic DNA they will find. Essentially, you have nothing."

"We could charge you for murder, though." Tess replied; "We found that mace, Gabe. You may have thought you have cleaned it, but there are traces of blood everywhere on the weapon. JT confirmed to me that the mace's spikes are identical to the one spike Vincent and Catherine found beneath the carriage horse's hoof."

"The case was solved, remember? The vigilante killed that carriage driver." Gabe challenged.

"I'll tell my higher-ups we got the wrong guy; with the blood on the mace, I'm sure we can easy reopen that case and convict you for first-degree murder. That will buy us time until we can figure out how to sentence you for attacking Catherine as well." Tess said with a smirk.

"Or," JT shrugged, "We could just leave you down here to rot; who needs the judicial system when we have Beast Justice?"

"Exactly," Tess nodded. "Since you'd be a threat above, I have no problems leaving you down here until you bleed dry. This place has been well-hidden for years; no one would even _think_ to look for you in this place."

"What ever happened to Miss Black and White?" Gabe asked Tess, "I thought you were against anything Beast Justice-related."

"Not when the _beast_ tries to kill my best friend." Tess replied. "Trust me, whether you talk or you don't talk, I _will_ find a way to exact justice on Cat's part. When she wakes, I'm going to ask her what happened, and when she tells me, all I will be thinking about is my gun in your face."

"I thought you were going to kill me _now_ , if I don't talk."

"I'll leave the killing to Vincent; however, that doesn't mean I can't have my fill of revenge either." Tess replied. "Come on, JT, let's go. He's obviously not going to talk, so we'll leave him to Vincent to handle."

"Fine. Just one thing, first." JT nodded before pulling the trigger of his tranquilizer gun. Gabe fell unconscious, and the team started walking away from the ADA. "He was pissing me off."

"Don't worry; you weren't the only one who was pissed." Tess replied. "Let's get out of here."

"Right behind ya." JT said, and the pair left the dungeon, hoping Gabe would starve or thirst to death before Vincent ever has a chance of exacting revenge.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it wasn't as long, but I am drained out from school. The next chapter will be more fulfilling; I consider this chapter a stepping stone / filler chapter.
> 
> IMPORTANT #1:
> 
> It has been brought to my attention that some readers are a little bit confused about the miscarriage. I would just like to clarify that the miscarriage wasn't necessarily caused to Catherine's abdominal injury. Yes, it was certainly a factor, but the miscarriage was primarily due to the high stress-load and trauma our poor Catherine received over the past several weeks.
> 
> Please note that I always do research before adding anything medical as I am not a doctor. The blood on the floor in Cat's bathroom was a mixture of blood from her stomach and her uterus. She was 10 weeks pregnant; I read accounts of women saying that they were in their 11th week during their miscarriages and that they DID have the fetuses 'fall out' along with blood.
> 
> Catherine was too focused on her abdominal pain, that she wasn't really noticing what was happening down below.
> 
> I don't mean to sound rude, but I wanted to clarify this confusion.
> 
> Make sense?
> 
> IMPORTANT #2:
> 
> I know it is hard to even talk with those tubes in your mouth, but because Vincent has excellent hearing, understanding Catherine wasn't a problem for him. (to a normal person, it would be very difficult, though).


	6. Chapter 6

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 6**

** **

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

A few days after Catherine had woken up, the doctors finally removed the ventilator and feeding tube. She could breathe on her own, and she was strong enough to eat on her own; however, she still wasn't able to move as freely as she would like to be. Gabe certainly did a number on her abdomen, and the doctors did not want her to move too fast too soon. For one, she might accidentally rip up her stitches. Even the smallest tear could cause her to have an infection if gone unnoticed. Every hour, Vincent would assess her vitals, and check her stitches. The doctors only came in every three hours so Vincent wasn't going to chance Catherine developing any kind of infection. He was constantly asking her how she felt—wanting to know everything to ensure she stays as healthy as she could be.

Other than her stomach, her throat was sore from having those godforsaken tubes jammed down her esophagus for several days. Because of her current condition, she was not allowed to eat any solid food as of yet. Doctor Miller wanted to make sure her throat heals before leveling up to real food. So, for now, she would have to deal with slurping Jell-O or Yoplait Yogurt until she gets Dr. Miller's approval to eat foods like steak, sandwiches or salads.

"How are you feeling?" Vincent asked as he walked into Catherine's hospital room with a cappuccino in his hand.

"Vincent, we've been over this—I feel fine." Catherine smiled, "Now, can I have a sip of your cappuccino? I'm starving and the full liquid diet isn't doing my famished stomach any favors."

"Sure, but only one sip, all right?" Vincent replied as he placed his Styrofoam-cup on the counter so he could slip into her bed without spilling any hot liquid on both of their laps. After wrapping his arm around her, pulling her closer to him and kissing her left temple, Vincent leaned to the left and reached for his cappuccino. He took a sip himself before handing the drink to Catherine. He kept a close eye on her, and listened as the liquid seeped into her mouth. He heard her swallow as quietly as she could, and when she tried to steal another sip, he took the cup away from her and placed it back onto the counter.

"Hey," she frowned.

"What did I say?" he raised his eyebrow.

"I know, but I was really hungry and thirsty. The hotness of the drink soothes my throat." Catherine said, still frowning.

Vincent kissed her cheek before saying, "As much as I would love to let you have more of my cappuccino, you know it's risky drinking something so heavy like that."

"Vincent," Catherine sighed but cringed when her stomach seared with pain. Before Vincent could react, she reassured him that she was fine. She just needed a moment for the pain to reside. "I know you're trying to take care of me, but you heard what the doctor said: full liquids—and that includes a caffeinated beverage. If you deny me of sustenance, I'll starve to death before the pain from my abdomen kills me. I understand the risk…that if I drink too much at once, the liquid might expand my stomach as well as rip my stitches apart. But, I promise, anything I am allowed to drink will be slowly consumed."

Vincent released a frustrated sigh. He wasn't upset with Catherine; he was upset with himself for being the too protective boyfriend type again. But after everything that's happened? Who could blame him for wanting to make sure the love of his life sees through to the next day? "Sorry for being such an ass lately."

"Who said you were being an ass? I appreciate you looking out for me, Vincent, I do. But I need to recover, not stay in the hospital." She smiled and took his hand into hers, "and following that full liquid diet is going to help me do that."

"You're right…I guess I was just being a little bit paranoid." Vincent replied, reaching back over for the cup.

"And that's understandable considering what all we've been through, and the fact that you were once a doctor in medicine." Catherine responded, leaning her head against Vincent's shoulder. "But, you should know by now that I'm all about taking risks."

"Is that so?" he sneered.

"I'm dating you, aren't I?" she grinned, warranting her a kiss from her knight in shining armor. Suddenly, the entire conversation about the cappuccino was long forgotten; as Vincent kissed Catherine, he used his beast senses to place the hot drink back onto the counter before cupping her face with his now-free hand. It's been a long time since they have kissed like that, and Vincent will be damned if he ever gave up on his love for Catherine. He almost did, but thankfully JT was there to knock the crap out of his mind. He was never going to let Catherine Chandler go ever again. Not now. Not ever.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Did you retrieve the package?" JT asked Tess as she walked into his bachelor's pad.

"Yes, but I'm not exactly sure what you want to do with _it_." Tess replied, "There's a freakin' fetus in the jar within this box; you do know the coroners don't really check dead fetuses for DNA, don't you? There's really no point since we know who the mother is…was."

"I might not be the cop, here, but if the fetus is relevant to Catherine's attack, yeah; the coroner definitely would check for DNA. You know detectives would do anything in order to catch the bad guy—that includes the coroner too. Consider stealing this fetus as a way of saving Vincent's ass; no one can kno—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. No one can know about Vincent's DNA. Got it. But what are we going to explain to the coroner when he notices a big chunk of evidence for Catherine's assault is missing? It's not like I can just tell him I stole it because I thought it would look pretty on an associate's shelf." Tess frowned as she handed JT the enclosed box before he placed it on the bar counter.

"Evidence goes missing all of the time, right? I stole from Evan a few times—he never suspected me."

"Yeah, but that's different, JT. You had replacements to swap it with. We can't exactly swap out a fetus with another one—that's virtually impossible." Tess replied. "So, what do you suggest we do?"

"Do I look like the detective here?" JT shrugged, "I didn't really think that far out! Besides, you and I were just following Vincent's orders. Maybe…," JT paused as he thought for a moment, "Hmmm…Well, Gabe's DNA was probably found embedded within Catherine's wounds. Doctors usually swab for DNA, don't they? If they did find Gabe's DNA, looks like case closed—no need to test the fetus."

"One problem," Tess folded her arms across her chest.

"What?"

"If they find Gabe's DNA—they're going to find out he's a genetic mutant like Vincent. They're not going to want to take him to jail—they're going to want to take him to some laboratory; who knows, they might alert the Big Bad Wolf party that had Tori killed. Gabe's a smart guy; he's not going to go down without a fight. If he gets arrested, he'll find a way to make Vincent's life miserable. I worry about that, JT. Nothing would make Vincent more miserable than losing Catherine, and it's clear that Gabe obviously doesn't care for her wellbeing; he'll do whatever he can to seek out revenge." Tess sighed as she took a seat at one of the barstools while JT circled around the bar to console her.

"Whatever happens, we won't let Gabe get away with anything. I can assure you that after this attack, Vincent's not going to leave Catherine's side—not even for a side dish of revenge with a dash of Gabe on it. Remember the last time he rushed in to kill someone? It didn't exactly bode too well for the big guy. But…to be sure that the coroner does not have a stash of the fetus's DNA hidden somewhere, I'm going to need to speak with him…as a scientist of course. I could tell him I was an associate of Evan Marks—which is true, and I decided I would like to offer my assistance since Catherine's attack isn't exactly a normal brew of tea, if you know what I mean." JT also took a seat on the barstool to Tess's left. He leaned forward, folded his fingers together and stared at the marble counter as he waited for Tess's response. "Do you think that's too risky?"

"As of right now—in order to not only protect Vincent but to protect Cat, I think it's the best bet we have. If someone obtains Vincent's DNA—again—links it back to the vigilante cases, we could have an even bigger problem on our hands. Catherine would be taken into questioning after her recovery, and will be arrested for covering up the vigilante killings. You and I _both_ know prison would destroy Cat—and it's the last thing Vincent needs in his life right now. He's already stressed as is with Cat being hospitalized; we can't have anything happen that could _really_ put him into stressed mode."

"Yeah, because that would be catastrophic." JT nodded. "Okay, well, I guess now is a good time as any to go to the precinct. But first…" JT's voice faded as he took the _box_ off of the counter, and walked over to the safety deposit room. He unlocked the safe, stepped inside and pulled a drawer out before placing the package inside. As he walked back out, he said, "We can't very well have that out and about. I'm still not sure what to do with it so I'll wait for Vincent to tell me what to do with it. For all we know, he may want me to study it…as odd as that may be…Anyway," he smiled, "Think you can introduce me to the coroner?"

"What the hell?" Tess shrugged. "But first, let's go check on Vincent and Catherine. It's been a few days since we've seen her."

"Sounds good." JT nodded, "Maybe we should go and buy a bouquet of flowers and a teddy bear or something."

"Good plan." Tess replied before the sidekick duo left the Gentlemen's Guild together.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent kissed Catherine's temple as they sat together on her hospital bed and watched a horrible movie on the TV. There wasn't much to do so they took joy in making fun of all of the things that went wrong in _Twilight_ —and it wasn't the fact that the movie wasn't following the book very well; it was the casts' acting that made the movie so terrible.

After the first thirty minutes, the couple had had enough, so Vincent turned off the TV with the remote, and decided to pay more attention to the woman sitting beside him. "Please tell me you didn't read any of those godforsaken books."

"N-no," she answered immediately, but he knew she was lying.

"You are such a bad liar," he laughed before kissing her nose. "It's a wonder how you were able to keep my secret hidden for so long."

"Believe me, I've been asking myself the same question for the longest time," she smiled. Carefully, she leaned into Vincent's warmth and snuggled against him. Vincent could feel how cold she was; hell, she was shivering. He placed his hand over her head, and frowned.

"Catherine, you have a fever." Vincent stated, causing his girlfriend to look at him.

"I'm fine," she replied wearily, but the fact was she wasn't fine. Her stomach hurt—a lot—but she didn't want Vincent to worry about her; she just figured it was cramps or something.

"Tell me the truth," Vincent said sternly.

"Vincent, you don't need to worry about me, it's just a little pain; I can handle it."

"A little pain could easily lead to an infection or something worse; where does it hurt? Your stomach?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

Vincent gently pressed his fingers against her stomach, feeling around for anything that might cause her to jump in pain. "Here?"

"Not so much."

"How about here?" he pressed against the middle of her stomach near her navel.

"Not really." When his fingers moved to the left of her stomach, she winced in pain—even her tough front wasn't enough to hide her agony.

Vincent cupped his hands around her stomach, causing her even more discomfort, and muttered, "Crap."

"What is it?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Your stomach—it's distended." He frowned. "Tell me, are you thirsty at all or feel nauseated?"

Catherine nodded, "Yeah, I'm quite a bit thirsty…and my stomach does hurt but I thought it might be due to the fact that I'm not consuming enough solid foods. Why?"

"When was the last time you went to the rest room?"

"Early this morning. Vincent, what's going on?" Suddenly, the pain in her stomach peaked, multiplying tenfold. She grasped her abdomen with her hands and arched her back; she felt like she was going to throw up.

"No time to answer," Vincent replied as he quickly pressed the emergency button, and detached Catherine's hospital bed from the wall, before wheeling her out of the room. Doctors and nurses came running as Catherine wailed in pain while Vincent continued to push her down the hallway. Her blood pressure drastically dropped. There was no time to lose.

"What's going on?" Doctor Miller demanded. "You are not authorized to move Miss Chandler from her room."

"I know, but she is showing symptoms of Peritonitis; her stomach is distended, and she needs emergency surgery." Vincent stated.

"I trust your judgment, Mr. Keller, but let us take it over from here. I'll forget this ordeal because you're doing what you can to save this young woman's life, but you need to step back and let us take care of it. Okay?"

Vincent released the bed, and watched the nurses push Catherine's bed towards the surgery ward. "We'll keep you updated." Dr. Miller said before leaving with the crew.

As Catherine disappeared from his sight, Vincent heard two people running up to him. "What happened?!" JT asked from behind him.

Vincent didn't answer. He only clenched his fists and cursed aloud before slamming his fist against the wall, cracking it in several directions.

"All right, big guy," JT stated as he and Tess dropped everything and pulled Vincent back before he broke down the whole building. "What the hell happened?!"

"Peritonitis," Vincent muttered.

"Shit." JT mumbled. "That's bad…Very bad."

"What the hell does that mean?" Tess asked, looking at both Vincent and JT. "Tell me what the hell that means!"

"Cat could be in big trouble." JT responded as he pulled Vincent back into Catherine's hospital room. "and when I say big trouble, I mean Colossal Trouble."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 7**

** **

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Where are you going?!" JT chased Vincent from the elevator to the parking garage. "Cat's still in surgery, man! You can't just leave her!" JT grabbed Vincent's arm to stop him from blurring away. "She needs you right now."

"What can I do, JT?" Vincent threw his hands into the air. "I can't watch her suffer like that anymore." Vincent clutched his hair and released a heavy sigh. "There's nothing I can do; they won't let me into the operation room for Christ's sake!"

"I know, V, but, like you said, she's suffering. You need to be there in ca—"

"In case what? In case she dies?" Vincent was delirious. "Is that what you're trying to say?!"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Vincent." JT frowned. "I was going to say, _in case she needs you for something_." JT circled around Vincent and blocked his best friend from entering his Hatchback. "I'm sorry, man, but I'm not going to let you storm out of here and do something stupid."

"Out of my way, JT." Vincent's eyes glowed. He wasn't threatening him; he was merely trying to scare his best friend off. "I've got business to attend to."

"Look, I want Gabe gone as much as the next guy, but you have to think rationally for a moment. After my last visit to the dungeon, I couldn't help but wonder if Gabe _wants_ you to try and kill him. It would be the perfect trap! If you kill the guy, he'll go missing. The police will open an investigation; they'll go through Gabe's things. Who _knows_ how much he's been hiding, V. An investigation could expose you, man. And you don't want that. Trust me. Gabe needs to be brought in for questioning anyway."

"Are you insane?!"

"Maybe just a tad, but he still needs to be questioned by the NYPD. If they take a sample of his DNA and it matches the traces of DNA found on Catherine's torn dress, he could be locked up for attempted murder. _Also_ , remember the carriage driver and Ray Sheckman?"

"What about them?"

"Well," JT bit his lip. He had never seen Vincent so angry in his life—and that's saying something considering the circumstances. "Even though they couldn't solve the murders because they conveniently linked them to the Vigilante, Evan found something about the two cases he wouldn't share with anyone."

"What did he find?"

"That the DNA left on the bodies were indeed corrupted, but not the same set of DNA he found on other bodies like Darius—that cop-guy's brother. Even though the carriage driver was clawed with a mace, his neck was broken first. Gabe left traces of his DNA on the body, but Evan didn't have enough evidence to peg the ADA as the murderer. So, instead of going viral with the different corrupted samples of DNA, he kept it to himself and decided to pin the murder on you." JT confessed.

"And why didn't he come forward with this knowledge when the cases were executed?" Vincent asked, trying to manage his anger.

"Hell if I should know?" JT shrugged. "He was probably saving it for his grant or something…. Maybe it was because he was jealous of you and Cat? Anyway, that's not what's important. Before Evan tried to turn you in the first time before the first time in the tunnels—you know, when we blew up the warehouse—he gave me a copy of his notes. He asked me to analyze them. Even though I told him I wanted to stop the grant research and focus on my career, he let me keep the book."

"What are you saying, JT?" Vincent was getting impatient.

"I'm saying that when they test for the ADA's DNA, the coroner is going to find it's a match to Catherine's wounds. I'm going to introduce myself as a former colleague of Evan's—which is true—and show the coroner his findings." JT smirked. He was very proud of himself for coming up with this idea. It's a much safer bet than killing Gabe only for someone to find his body washed up in the Hudson.

"That's," Vincent tried to search for the right words, but his anger was clouding his judgment. "Great and all, man, it really is, but remember? Evan was seen as a traitor—he 'confessed' to helping me; how will any of his words be accredited? For all we know, the coroner will piece things together and think you're in on it too—which, you are." Vincent took one step forward as JT stood still, not intimidated by his angry friend.

"Okay, well maybe I can introduce myself to the coroner as a biochemist strictly interested in the contaminated DNA…. I could _mention_ how I remember the whole vigilante issue a year ago and suggest to him he should look into the cold cases. _Perhaps_ they're linked! Catherine still has to be questioned too—when she recovers of course. She's going to _have_ to tell the NYPD who attacked her. They may think it's an animal as of right now, but the coroner is going to figure it out. And when he _does_ , I'll convince him to show his findings to Captain Ward."

"If you do that, JT, the coroner will get himself killed just as Evan did. He'll want to pursue it. You can't deny that, can you?" Vincent was getting agitated.

"Not necessarily." JT shrugged. "Evan pursued it because he wanted to protect Catherine. He knew Catherine was involved in some way, shape or form. Remember? He even saw you beast-out down in the tunnels when you conveniently saved his life. The current coroner has nothing on _you_ —just Gabe."

"Yeah, until he blabbers his big, fat mouth and tells the NYPD I'm a beast." Vincent retorted. This conversation wasn't getting him anywhere.

"You really think they're going to believe him after what he did to Catherine? The NYPD will figure out he had a beef with you; they'll realize anything he says will be crazy. They'll give him a psych eval and put him in a mental institution." Suddenly JT had a brilliant idea. "I've got it!"

"What?"

"Didn't Catherine, at one point, tell you that Gabe's new beast looked different—almost like yours?"

"Yeah? So what?" Vincent raised his eyebrow.

"Well, your beast was tampered with during your disappearance—improved, actually. That serum I created for Sam—it was most likely the same serum Gabe used to inject himself. If I remember correctly, Tori's blood was the main source of that beast serum; if I can create a replica, but mix it with non-predisposed human blood AND perhaps some scrapings of that gem, I might be able to create a cure for that specific serum. Then, Gabe will be human again, and he'll be off at the madhouse before we can say cheese in front of the camera of victory!" JT exclaimed. "We just need to keep him a beast long enough to get some DNA from him…one for the NYPD and the other for Stallone; I'll need a way to test this theory out first before calling myself a pure genius."

Vincent sighed. "It's worth a shot, I guess. I'll get the blood sample for you." Vincent said, causing JT to frown. "I'm not going to kill him," Vincent rolled his eyes. "Unless he tries something first. I'll just tranq him, take his blood and leave. That simple. I can dump Sleeping Ugly in his loft if Tess can create some sort of diversion so the cops surrounding his place doesn't catch me. Then Tess can figure out a way to cuff him, take him to the precinct and have his DNA extracted. Though, she might need to use stronger cuffs…."

"I doubt it…. Gabe had every intent on killing Catherine that night dude. He didn't want himself exposed so why would he now? He's smart, man. He'll cooperate once his nap is over. If he doesn't, he'll have a statewide manhunt after him. Maybe we'll get lucky, and he'll maul most of the precinct," JT chuckled but Vincent didn't see the humor in his statement. JT coughed. "Anyway, I'll head straight to the guild. I'll even call Tess to tell her the new plan. Call _her_ when you have him ready to deliver; she'll create a diversion then. Okay?"

"Fine. You just better bet your ass this idea works or we'll have bigger problems on our hands." Vincent replied. He looked back towards the hospital entrance. There's nothing he could do at this point for Catherine except this new plan. The sooner Gabe is locked up, the safer Catherine will be when she's released. He has to stay positive in order to keep himself sane.

"She'll be all right," JT reassured him. Vincent gave him a weird look. Just a few minutes ago, JT was about to bite his ass off for leaving all of a sudden. What gave the professor a new reason to let Vincent go this time? JT heard his phone buzz, and when he looked at it, he smirked. "Impeccable timing. Tess just texted me and told me Heather is in the hospital right now. So…since she doesn't really think highly of you, it's probably best you _do in fact_ disappear for a while."

Vincent nodded. "I feel a little bit better knowing Heather's there. If anything, she'll contact Tess if something's wrong, which, in turn, Tess will contact you, and you'll contact me. I can be back at the hospital faster than the time it takes for you to put your phone back into your pocket."

"Sounds like we have a plan then." JT sighed. "We'll get him, buddy. I promise."

"One way or another, Gabe's going to pay for what he's done to Catherine." Vincent answered darkly. Before JT could respond, the beast blurred away without leaving a single trace of dirt behind him. JT turned around and looked at his car. "Why did I even bother blocking his path to my car?" With that, the professor unlocked his car, slipped in, buckled his seatbelt, inserted his keys, shifted the gear to Drive and sped off.

There was no time to lose.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Before entering the dungeon, Vincent had to devise a plan. He had to figure out how he was going to get Gabe back into his loft without people watching a beast carry another (sleeping) beast up ten stories to Gabe's penthouse. Obviously Vincent was going to need to be more creative than usual. He ran passed a UPS store and suddenly had an idea. He walked inside the store, purchased everything he needed and left for the dungeon as quickly as possible. When he arrived, he grabbed a test tube from the lab and a syringe. Once he made it to the dungeon, he found Gabe tapping his fingers against his arm impatiently as if he had been waiting for Vincent for hours. He turned to look at Vincent. The beast was tempted to rip Gabe's throat out right then and there, but he knew he had a mission to accomplish.

"Vincent!" Gabe acted so innocent, "How nice of you to finally come! I'm glad you managed to make it over here because whatever you _think_ happened back at my place isn't the right assumption! I'm sure you understand, right?"

"Quit it with the theatrics, Gabe." Vincent growled. Oh how he wanted to snap his neck! "You can't fool me. Not this time."

Gabe's brows furrowed. "Come back to kill me or something?"

"Or something." Vincent reiterated. "Before I get what I've come for, I hope you beg for mercy when I destroy your life, Gabe. You're going to _wish_ you were never born." Vincent revealed his tranq gun, causing the ADA to roll his eyes.

"Seriously; can't you guys think of something better than to tranquilize me?" Gabe sighed. "Well, if you're going to send me to Dreamland, might as well make it a quick one." Gabe was certainly eager to get tranqued.

Could this be a trap?

He did seem like he wanted _someone_ to come down to the dungeon for something. "Wait," Vincent covered the tranq gun back up. "What are you planning?"

"Why are you always assuming I'm planning anything?" Gabe raised his brow.

"Oh, gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because Catherine found files of us in your loft and because you've been out to get me ever since you killed that carriage driver!" Vincent frowned. "What are you planning!?" Vincent grabbed Gabe's neck and slammed him against the bars.

"Have you been eating your vitamins?" He asked, amused how Vincent was reacting to his calm composure. "You seem stronger than before."

Vincent wouldn't hear anymore. That bastard was just trying to get under his skin. He dropped the ADA and reached for his tranquilizer. Without hesitation, he whipped the gun out and fired four bullets (just to be safe) into Gabe's legs. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. Once the ADA was in a deep slumber, Vincent unlocked the cell, took the sample he needed and dumped Gabe's limp body into a large, cardboard box. He gave the flaps seven layers of boxing tape just to make sure he wouldn't be able to escape. He was even gracious enough to poke some holes in the sides so he could breathe. Vincent was tempted to "forget" about the holes, but knew Catherine wasn't going to get true justice until he's de-beasted and locked behind Coo-Coo Nest bars.

That was a dream waiting to happen.

He called JT and found out the antidote (well, part of it anyway) was finished—it just needed to be tested on Stallone in hopes that the gem scrapings and the human blood can fight the Beast markers in the DNA, creating an antidote. Vincent stood outside as he waited for his best friend to pick him up. He can't very well cart the ADA back to Gabe's loft without being noticed. That's virtually impossible.

Within the hour, JT showed up and helped Vincent stuff the box into the trunk. "What's with the cargo?"

"I put Gabe's body in there….well, his sleeping body, anyway." Vincent replied, wanting to ensure his best friend that he didn't kill the bastard. Though, he _was_ tempted. "I figured Gabe's loft could use a delivery."

JT slapped his head. "When I said, _deliver_ the ADA, I didn't mean it literally."

"This is _your_ idea, not mine. I was fine with letting him rot down there, JT. So don't look at me like that. This was the best thing I could think of; besides, how else are we going to get him up there without alerting pedestrians and cops surrounding his apartment building?" Vincent closed the trunk and the dynamic duo hopped into the Hatchback before JT drove off towards Gabe's place.

"I guess you have a point." JT replied. "Hopefully it works."

"If it doesn't, I can just knock out all of the security guards one by one." Vincent rolled his eyes. He wasn't serious; he was just telling JT he was taking everything as it came. If Plan A didn't work, he would worry about a Plan B later.

"Oh, and I forgot the fact that the police have Gabe's mace in custody—you know, the one he used on the carriage driver to _make it look like_ a beast or something killed him." JT said. Vincent looked annoyed. Who could blame the guy though? The love of his life was fighting for her life! "I'll still have to convince the coroner to look at Evan's old files—or at least mention to him how I thought the vigilante attacks had mace-like scratches. Maybe _that_ will prompt him to look into the unsolved attacks."

"I thought you said Evan pegged _me_ as the murderer." Vincent raised his eyebrow. What was the professor trying to say?

"I did, but that doesn't mean they was ever solved. They just assumed it was you, but there wasn't enough evidence to actually solve the cases. But with Gabe's DNA and me pointing the coroner in the right direction, he'll find out that Gabe's DNA matches the DNA found on those two victims."

Vincent sighed. "I appreciate all you are doing for me and Catherine, buddy, but I don't think that's going to work. I mean, sure, yeah, they'll match his DNA to the DNA found on Catherine's clothing," the thought of Gabe hurting Catherine enraged Vincent. He took in a deep breath and focused on something else to help him calm down. "But Gabe's beast was different then….back when he killed the carriage driver and Ray Sheckman. Gabe went from beast to human to super beast. His DNA is now going to be different than from before."

"Damn!" JT cursed. "And I thought _I_ was the scientist here." JT whipped around two or three cars, causing the drivers to beep their horns at him. He didn't care. He just needed to get Vincent and the ADA back to Gabe's loft ASAP. "Well, we can still get him incriminated for Catherine's attack."

"Let's just hope this works." Vincent shrugged. He couldn't imagine how Catherine and his lives would be like if Gabe walks free of everything. He wouldn't put it past the ADA though. That man has a lot of connections. Vincent heard Gabe shuffling around in the box. Taking precaution, Vincent pulled out his tranquilizer gun, placed the nozzle inside one of the air holes and pulled the trigger. The body went limp again. Hopefully he'll stay asleep for a while.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Tess got the call from JT to create the diversion. She told the security guards to take a break and grab some donuts and coffee from the lobby. That would give Vincent at least ten minutes to pop in, dump Gabe on his couch and pop out. She promised she would watch the loft and make sure no suspicious activity arises. JT texted her, telling her he tampered with the camera feed so the security guards of the complex wouldn't see anything to warrant suspicion. Once all of the officers cleared out, Tess told him to tell Vincent to get his ass up there so they can get it done and over with.

About a minute later, a man carrying a box walked into the hallway. "Excuse me," Tess walked up to him, "But you can't be up here."

"I know," the gruffly voice replied, "That's why I'm doing this as quickly as possible."

"Vincent?" Tess's eyes widened. "I thought you were going to come up the fire escape!" She whispered loudly.

"Couldn't. Gabe's fire escape is being watched. This was the best bet." He pointed to the box.

"Wait…you mean to tell me the ADA is in there?"

"Where else would he be?" Vincent smirked.

Tess sighed. "Okay, well let's just get this over with. We don't have much time. Just place him on the couch and get the hell out of dodge. I'll take care of the rest." Tess crossed her arms in front of her chest as Vincent walked into Gabe's apartment with box in arms. She watched him open the box, pull out the sleeping ADA and plop him on the couch. The ADA smacked his head on the table next to his couch, but that was the least of their problems. If Gabe woke up with a splitting headache, they'd be having a holiday because once the ADA wakes up, there's a chance he might maul one of the security guards. Tess couldn't have that.

"All right, you've done your part. Go back to Catherine. I'll do what needs to be done here, and then tell JT when Gabe has his blood drawn." Tess stated, urging Vincent to get the hell out of the building. She didn't have to tell him twice.

"On it." Vincent nodded and disappeared before she could pull out her walky-talky.

You know what?

She had another idea.

She walked down towards the bend of the hallway, and waited until all of the units came back. She heard them call her name. Immediately, she popped out of hiding and strutted down the hallway. "What's the big deal?"

"We thought you were watching Lowan's apartment! Where were you? He's back!" An officer yelled.

"I had to pee." Tess frowned. "If a criminal walked into their apartment every time I went to the bathroom, I might as well live in one of the stalls." She rolled her eyes. Without another word, she walked past the officer and made her way into the apartment. Gabe was still sleeping. Thank God. She walked behind the couch, grabbed his arms and started to cuff them. "Gabriel Lowan, I'm taking you in for probable cause."

"What are you doing, detective? You can't cuff a man who's knocked out." The same officer who barked at her earlier said with a frown.

"Don't argue with me, Officer Warren. This man was the last person with Detective Chandler. There was blood all over the floor trailing from his apartment to the parking garage. The blood was a match for Catherine's. Gabe fled the crime scene—he was nowhere to be found when the units arrived." Tess replied, even though she remembered when JT carted Gabe's body into his car before the other police units arrived to the scene. "Besides, when was the last time _you_ cuffed someone who didn't run? Consider Gabe being passed out a blessing." Tess tightened the cuffs around the ADA, hoping they would hold.

"Good work, Vargas." Captain Ward suddenly came in. "We'll book him in the drunk tank until his drunken state wares off. Then, we'll question him."

Tess saw a trickle of blood on the table—probably from when he bonked his head. She immediately pulled on a glove and grabbed a Kleenex from the box sitting on the table. She wiped the blood, folded the tissue up and stood up. "I'll get this over to CSU. If it's a match with the DNA found on Catherine's clothing, we'll have grounds to arrest him. The least we can do right now is hold him with probable cause."

"Doesn't she need a warrant to take his blood, Captain?" that same, annoying officer questioned.

"Captain," Tess barked, "we already have a warrant to search his place for any more evidence linking him to other cases. We found the mace and it has the carriage driver's blood all over it. For all _we_ know this blood could _easily_ be something missed from Detective Chandler's attack." Tess really didn't have time to argue at this point. "With all due respect, if the ADA is in fact the one who attacked Catherine, don't we owe it to her and to the precinct to make sure we put him away for a very long time?"

Captain Ward rubbed his chin. "You make a valid argument." He hummed to himself and then nodded to Tess. "Go and deliver the blood sample to the coroner. If you're right and Gabe did in fact attack Detective Chandler, then we need to put him behind bars ASAP. With a man of his power, who knows what he could do to set himself free. I want you to make sure this stays in-house, Vargas. Understand me? The fewer people who know about this, the better." He looked at the noisy officer. "You keep your mouth shut too, Warren, or I'll personally see to it that you're transferred to a different precinct where you can't make goo-goo eyes at Officer Rachelle Peters."

That immediately shut Warren up.

Without further ado, Tess left Gabe's loft as the unit carted him off to their SUV. She needed to get the blood sample to the coroner ASAP—especially so JT can get that antidote to Gabe before he wakes up. It's better to have him wake up as a human instead of a beast.

It was only a matter of time….

**~Beauty and the Beast~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 8**

** **

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent waited until Heather left the hospital to enter Catherine's room; he couldn't risk her sister getting involved—not in something like this. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't but watch Heather cry over her dear sister. He couldn't blame her. He's done the same thing himself. Part of him wanted to go in to the room while Heather was in there and tell her all will be all right. The other part wouldn't dare risk it. The last time he and Heather crossed paths was a nightmare. The worst part? Catherine wasn't conscious to mediate anything that happens between them.

He didn't walk in right away; he waited ten minutes to make sure she was leaving for the night, and when she didn't return, he snuck in, knowing visiting hours were over and done with. He left Catherine alone for most the entire day—he couldn't afford to lose any precious minutes with her. For what if she woke up, and he wasn't there? He knew the love of his life was a strong woman, but whenever she _does_ wake up, he had no doubt in his mind that she'll be disoriented. He needed to be there for her because it's all he can do at the moment.

He sat down in a rolling chair next to her bed and linked his fingers with hers. If only a kiss would break the sleeping spell she's under. He kissed her fingers and leaned his head against her arm, hoping she would come to. The anesthetics should be wearing off soon. When he heard two pairs of footsteps making their way towards Catherine's room, he sat up, kissed Catherine's forehead and turned around, greeting JT and Tess in the doorway.

"How is she?" JT asked as he took a seat in one of the other visitor seats.

"I thought you two couldn't come up here at this hour." Vincent leaned over and clasped his hands together. "Visiting hours are over."

"Well," Tess smirked and flashed her badge, "Sometimes carrying around one of these doohickeys usually does the trick." Tess walked across the room and sat down in the cushioned seat next to the medicine cabinet. She crossed her legs and leaned back against the chair, lacing her fingers together and placing them behind her head.

"So…are you two here because of Catherine or because of Gabe?" Vincent asked, giving both of his friends a raised eyebrow. He swiveled his chair slightly and placed his hand on top of hers again, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Well," Tess tossed her left hand towards JT and flipped her hair behind her right shoulder with the other. "Why don't you tell him the satisfactory news, JT?"

"Don't mind if I do," JT sat up and cracked his knuckles. He leaned over a little bit, propping his elbows on top of his knees before delivering the seemingly oh so great news. "Well," he smirked, "The trial on Stallone worked."

"You're kidding me." Vincent's jaw dropped. Suddenly, Vincent had to know one thing, "Just curious…what was it like dealing with a beastly mouse?" He was always curious how Stallone would act if she ever had the need to be injected with his blood. Except—instead of his own blood, JT's favorite lab mouse was given a dose of Gabe's blood instead. This should be an interesting story….

"Well, at first, she showed no change. Then, about thirty minutes later, she gnawed through her cage and scurried all over the guild. After ten or so minutes of chasing / looking for her, I raced to the fridge, pulled out a block of cheese and sprayed it with some male mouse pheromones. It didn't take long for her to find it. If I didn't act quickly, she would have eaten the entire block in minutes! I managed to trap her, inject her with the potential antidote…and sure enough, after an hour of sitting on the cage I trapped her in, she calmed down. Just to be sure, I took a sample of her blood and tested it. Voila! She's back to normal!" JT brushed a finger under his nose and added, "I know, I know. My body _cannot_ contain my brilliance!"

While Tess dramatically rolled her eyes and shook her head in disdain, Vincent stood up, walked over to his best friend, picked the professor up in the air and swung him around before giving him a strong hug. "I will never doubt your brilliance again, man."

"Cant…Breathe…" JT coughed, forcing Vincent to place him back down on the ground. After catching his breath, he placed a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "Please don't do that again. Never. Ever. Again."

"Right." Vincent pressed his lips together and sat back down. It was one thing to give JT a "I'm so proud of you!" hug; it was something completely different to twirl him in the air like a man does a wife. He didn't know what came over him, but the sound of Gabe going back to a normal human brought static to his entire body. He was overly thrilled and can't wait to see the bastard in jail—or better yet, a psych ward. "Sorry, buddy…."

"Well, if you two are done with your little bromantic moment, we have another thing to discuss." Tess forced a cough, causing the men to look at her. "How exactly are we going to get Gabe to take the antidote? It's not like we can serve it on a platter and hope he drinks it with his morning breakfast." Tess had a feeling she was going to have to break a few laws in order to incriminate Gabe.

"Well, this is what _I_ was thinking…. While he's in custody, I can sneak in, call for him and tell the guards we need to redo his blood test. He gets in there, he'll see me, throw a tantrum, they'll neutralize the problem by tranquilization or TAZER, I'll draw another sample, Tess," JT looked at the detective with pleading eyes as he continued his statement, "I need you to call the guard on duty out of the medical ward. I'm sure you can figure something out. Once he's out of the clinic, I'll inject the antidote, draw some more blood so they think I'm legit and then botta bing, botta boom, I am out of there!" JT walked over to the door, closed it and turned around, "Easy peasy, right?"

"Seems like _you_ have the most difficult part." Vincent frowned. "Perhaps I should go in instead." Vincent didn't expect the response he received from both JT and Tess.

"NO!"

He blinked at them. He could understand why JT would say no, but Tess?

"Why not?" He frowned.

"Because, _I_ have credentials, big guy. _You_ don't." JT crossed his arms in front of him. "That's why."

"I have to side with JT on this one." Tess replied, walking over to JT and placing a hand on his shoulder. "No offence, Vincent, but JT is the most qualified for the job. I'll see if I can get Leanne Wilkins, the current medical examiner, to take the day off tomorrow. In fact, I think I'll go and do that right now." Tess headed for the door.

"H-how are you going to do that?" JT asked, whipping his head around towards the detective.

"Take her out for a drink…or maybe six. She's a tiny woman; she won't be able to hold her liquor for long." Tess smiled. "Leanne and I are good friends. She used to work for my brother's precinct before being transferred to Rikers. I'll simply…make sure she drowns her sorrows…, and tomorrow, she'll be so hung over, she won't remember what hit her." Tess smirked and pulled her phone. "Tell him the _other_ good news, JT." With that, she pressed a few buttons on her phone, placed the phone to her ear and walked away from the hospital room, saying "What's up, Leanne! Long time no talk!" as she sauntered toward the elevator.

JT turned back around to face his friend. "She's pretty great, isn't she?"

"Emphasis on the 'pretty,' right?" Vincent chuckled.

"What? No! I mean, yeah, she's very pretty, but that's not what I meant! Stop putting words in my mouth, man!" JT threw his hands up into the air. "Why can't I say something simple, anymore?"

"Because, JT, nothing is _ever_ simple with you." Vincent patted his best friend's shoulder.

"That should be my line to you, big guy."

"I don't think _any_ of our lives are simple anymore." Vincent sighed. Oh how much he wish it wasn't true. "Anyway, Tess said you had some more good news?"

"Right," JT sat back down and leaned against the back of the soft, pale green chair. "Well…, on top of the serum being a success, Gabe has been arrested."

Vincent's eyes shot open, mouth agape. "You serious?"

"Deadly." JT nodded. "He was arrested shortly after Tess delivered the blood sample to the coroner. The ID'ed the sample a match with the DNA found on Catherine's dress. He woke up while being booked; he started screaming and thrashing things around like a crazy."

Vincent's scooted to the edge of his seat. "Then what happened?" It was like JT was telling his best friend a bedtime story.

"Well, they tranqued him—again—and dressed him in a special shirt made for psychos. The shirt's sleeves tie around his back so he can't thrash anyone. He can try to, but they cuffed him as an extra precaution. His legs are bound too." JT sneered. "I never thought I would see the day, you know?"

Vincent leaned back against his swivel chair and exhaled a sigh. He raked his fingers through his hair, not knowing how to handle this delightful news. "No kidding. So all we need to do is debeast him, and then we're free from him once and for all."

"Unless he makes bail…or breaks free…or g—"

"Not helping, JT." Vincent cut his best friend off, just wanting to enjoy the moment.

"Oh! And I forgot to mention…once Gabe is given the antidote, he won't be able to turn himself into a beast ever again. It's kind of like what happened with you and the influenza Cat gave you. Same concept." JT stretched his legs and arms as he cracked his neck and back.

"So…all we need to do is make sure the ADA doesn't catch the flu or a cold in the next forty-eight hours. No biggie, right?" Vincent sighed and leaned back into his chair yet again.

"Ehhh…I'd rather not think about that possibility." JT said as he stood up and bent backwards, cracking his back once again. "I better get going, big guy. A big day tomorrow. Whatever happens, I don't want you near us. Okay? You stay here with Cat and make sure she recovers. Let Tess and I be Batman and Robin for once." JT patted Vincent's shoulder before turning around to head for the door.

"Thanks man." Vincent smiled.

JT simply gave Vincent a thumbs-up and then left without another word. Vincent walked to the door, closed it and sat back down, staring at Catherine. As she slept with monitors beeping all around her, he noticed two wet spots darkening her blanket. Vincent quickly wiped his cheeks and leaned over to kiss her forehead. Her eyelashes tickled his eyelids as he slid his lips down from her forehead to mouth. He lightly pressed his lips to hers, not wanting to hinder her breathing. "Please wake up soon, Catherine." he begged, believing she could hear him within her deep slumber. She was fighting so hard to come back to him. He kissed her once more and muttered two words that could seal their fate together if she ever woke up to respond.

"Marry me."

His voice was soft and pleading. She was his everything, and he wanted nothing more than to marry her. She _is_ his future. He placed his head against her shoulder and kissed her neck as his fingers squeezed her hand.

Slowly, sleep overtook him. Not even his beast could resist the temptation to sleep.

Several hours later, when one of the nurses came in to check on Catherine, she smiled at the sight. Two lovers sleeping peacefully; there was no doubt that this young man loved this young woman. Vincent remained as he was, but, to her surprise, Catherine's arm draped over his shoulder and her lips were barely pressing against the top of his head.

She must have woken up during the night while Vincent was asleep.

Still smiling, the nurse grabbed an extra blanket and placed it over Vincent's shoulders. Their breaths were in sync. The sight was absolutely beautiful. She checked Catherine's chart once more before silently leaving the couple alone.

Even in the deepest sleep, Vincent and Catherine would always find each other.

**~Beauty and the Beast~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 9**

** **

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

As if on cue, the guards dragged ADA—or rather, _former_ ADA—Lowan into the medical examination room where JT Forbes prepping the room. JT pretended not to notice the shouting and the ludicrous 'accusations' Gabe was yelling when he saw the professor standing in the room. Once this was all over, JT was definitely going to have a laugh. When he finally turned around, Gabe charged at him, forcing the guards to take necessary action and tranquilize the inmate.

"Just make this quick so we can take him back to his cell." one guard was certainly not in a good mood based on JT's observations.

"I promise I'll be brief." JT nodded, holding up a syringe. "See? I have what I need right here so all I need to do is…." His voice trailed off as he bent down and placed the needle in Gabe's forearm.

"Excuse me," He heard Tess say as she suddenly walked into the examination room, "I heard Officer Greggory and Officer Yang are in here." JT turned to look at the tall detective who was flashing her badge. She was glancing at the two officers before him. "You them?"

"What's it to you, Vargas?" Yang—the only man of Asian descent, save for Gabe—replied.

"Flattered you know who I am. You guys have a sec?"

"What for?" Greggory frowned, folding his arms in front of his chest.

Tess sighed. "You two worked that Mallory case back in '09, right?" Tess shifted her weight to her right and tapped her foot, waiting for their answer.

"Yeah. Why?" Yang asked, getting impatient with the detective.

"Well, I was looking over the case because I thought it would be relevant to another case I was working on and found out that five of the witness statements do not corroborate. Since you two were in the rotation back then, I figured I might as well come to the source. You know, confront the two of _you_ before taking it up to the captain." Tess was _not_ going to take any BS from the officers. She might have lied about the case she was working on, but she _did_ find some invalidation in the report. Figured they would jump at the chance to leave with her.

"What do you mean?" Officer Greggory raked a hand through his hair. "I wrote the report; there shouldn't have been any errors."

"Then why don't you two come with me, and we can sort this out. I'm sure it will only take a few minutes—five max. What do you say?" Tess loved it when she got to put her female charm in the mix of her job. They'll take the bait for sure—even if it _is_ true bait; it's bait nonetheless. They looked at JT. "Don't worry about four-eyes over there." Tess started pushing them out of the room. "I'm sure he'll be fine taking blood from an incapacitated inmate. The worst he can do is prick his finger with a needle."

The officers left the building with Tess right behind them. JT waited a few seconds to make sure they were gone before pulling out his vial of de-beasting serum and drawing the antidote out with a syringe. He decided to inject the juice into the same arm he was going to draw blood from; that way there would only be one hole and one Band-Aid.

He poked the little sucker into Gabe's skin and pushed the serum into the former ADA's body. "Take _that_ , Gabe." JT smirked. "All is fair in love and war." When everything was done, he waited a minute for the serum to spread further into Gabe's body before drawing his blood out with the vacuumed syringe. Afterwards, he pressed gauze on Gabe's arm and then trapped the flimsy material with a Band-Aid. When he heard the officers coming back, he hid his empty vial in his coat pocket and clapped his hands as if nothing else happened. He held up the vial of Gabe's blood and smiled at the officers. "See? Your detective lady friend was right; no harm, no foul. You can take him back now; I'll take care of this for you guys."

As they hauled the hopefully-soon-former-beast back to his cell, Tess briskly walked in and gave JT a "Well?!" look.

"Yes…. It's all done. Now can we get out of here before someone figures out I'm not on payroll here?" JT asked as he wiped his head with a red handkerchief.

"Sure thing." Tess nodded as she led JT out of the examination room. "What are you going to do with that vial?"

"Well….since I injected the serum into Gabe's blood _first_ , this little sucker—no pun intended—contains both the properties of Gabe's blood and of the antidote. That being said, I won't have to sneak in again and take a sample. I can just use this one instead." JT beamed as if he had thought of the next best invention for the world. "I can't wait to test this baby when I get home! Stallone took about half an hour to de-beast…so….I'll give Gabe about two hours before he starts losing his beastie abilities. Now…if only I could switch the antidote with all of Sam's beast vials. If that could happen, I would consider this to be a _very_ good day." JT sighed and relieved a heavy sigh when they exited the precinct.

"Look, I've got work still yet to do, JT, but go home, wait two hours and test the sample. If everything seems good, call Vincent and let him know. I'm going to track that SOB we call Sam down and arrest him for harvesting drugs." Tess smirked.

"He doesn't carry drugs though."

"So?" Tess laughed. For a man who is as smart as JT Forbes, he doesn't seem to have a lot of common sense at times. "No one needs to know Gabe was given beast juice. I could convince the coroner to claim the properties in Gabe's blood are a result from drugs. Then, he'll order for _another_ blood sample; if Gabe is beast-free, he won't have those marker-thingies in his system. See? Drugs!" Tess was proud of her idea. She might not be JT or Vincent, but every once in a while, she comes up with some pretty damn good stuff. This was obviously one of those times.

"I like the way you think!" JT grinned, prompting the detective to give him a high five. However, to his dismay, she shook her head and rejected his friendly gesture. "I guess I'll see you later then. Good luck finding Sam. Let me know if you need me to fire up my equipment, all right?"

"Sure thing."

**~Beauty and the Beast~**

During those two hours in which JT was waiting to test Gabe's blood sample, Vincent and Catherine were still in the hospital, enjoying each other's company. Catherine was wide awake when Vincent woke up several hours earlier; in fact, she told him that if she fell asleep again, she would probably go insane because she needed to keep her mind awake. She hated being hospitalized, but with Vincent's company, the thought of being on bed rest for the next several days didn't seem quite as bad.

"So, let me get this straight…" Catherine's voice dampened and her mind suddenly melted into goo when Vincent attacked her neck with his lips. Even though they were in a public hospital, he was on fire for her. Her eyes rolled upward from his tender touch; the electrifying feeling he gave her whenever his lips feathered soft kisses along her skin was almost too much. "Vincent, I'm trying to talk here." She wiggled in his arms, hissing when her stitches—her newer stitches from the surgery—grazed his arm. He immediately drew back.

"Sorry. I go get a doctor!" Vincent started to run off, but Catherine called him back. He turned around and sauntered towards her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm all right, Vincent. Just a minor twinge of pain. That's all." Catherine reached for him. He took her hand in his and sat down on the chair next to her bed, respectfully keeping his distance. "Perhaps," she pulled his large hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles, "we should hold out on the heavy stuff until _after_ I'm cleared to move more than just my arms and legs again. Okay?"

"Probably a good idea." Vincent smiled bashfully. "I'm sorry for earlier. I should have been more careful. After all, I was once a doctor; I shouldn't have let my feelings cloud my judgment." Vincent placed his cheek on her shoulder and closed his eyes. "I'm just glad you're awake."

"Don't worry about it, Vincent. _Believe me_ , if the situation was reversed, I'd probably find a way to be all over you too." She laced her fingers with his and placed their hands against her chest. "Let's just get through _this_ in one piece first."

Vincent nodded. "Just to be clear—once you _are_ able to engage in more strenuous activity, I'm going to definitely make things up to you for lost time." Vincent closed his eyes and relished in her presence. Waking up to her smiling down on him was the best moment of his life. If she hadn't made it, he didn't know _what_ would happen to him. He would most likely jump off the Empire State Building or something. There was little that could kill him nowadays. Catherine surprised him by weaving her fingers though his course hair. He looked up at her. "What?" He flashed his dimples.

"I don't know if I've said this enough, but I love you Vincent." She caressed his face. "I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't found me when you did."

"Let's not think of that then." Vincent replied, leaning his face into her palm. He suddenly pulled back, slipped his hand into his pocket and dangled a silver chain in front of her. Without a word, he released her hand and lifted another chain—this one being gold—off of his neck. He unclasped the golden chain and slid off one of two charms—from what Catherine could see—before sliding it onto the silver necklace. Once he clasped both chains again, he slipped the golden one over his head and placed the silver chain in Catherine's palm. "This is for you."

She unraveled the silver chain and gazed at the charm—a silver ring. Her eyes widened as light from the window revealed tiny sparkles twinkling off of the diamonds embedded into the silver. "It's beautiful, Vincent." She looked at him. "What's this for?"

He took the necklace out of her hand and straightened its chain. Before she could object—if she wanted to, he slid it over her head; the ring fell between her breasts underneath her hospital gown. "It's sort of a promise ring slash engagement ring. I have one too, see?" Vincent revealed his golden ring that was hidden underneath his own shirt. "After what happened, Catherine, I don't want to live without regrets. I know…at this point in time…, it's impossible to get married now; we just sort of got back together and you need to recover from your injuries…and let's not forget there's the Gabe issue to worry about—for now. I mean, we have a lot of obstacles in our way at this moment, but _someday_ , I want to be able to call you Mrs. Catherine Keller."

Her eyes twinkled as much as the ring between her breasts did. She thought about the name, Catherine Keller. It had such a beautiful sound to it. He _was_ right about a few things—she _did_ need to recover and they _did_ happen to re-establish their relationship only days ago, but based on what he told her about JT's plan concerning Gabe, the former ADA shouldn't be a problem in their life anymore. In the grand scheme of things, these so-called obstacles shouldn't matter. Catherine knew where her heart belonged. Even when dating Gabe—thank _God_ she didn't pass the point of no return in _that_ relationship, she always loved Vincent. She merely wanted to try something new—date someone who _wasn't_ or didn't seem to be a bad boy. Look how well that turned out.

No matter what her mind tried to do, she couldn't convince her heart otherwise. Vincent was always hers, and she was always Vincent's. The perfect halves to a flawless whole. Unlike her Gabe-rebound, because that's what he was—a rebound, Vincent completed her. He was her everything, her morning, her noon and her night. Even when he wasn't around, she couldn't help but think of him. She tried convincing herself she was just trying to get over an old flame, but that was hardly the case. Her heart simply knew all along what her mind wouldn't wrap around—that she was unconditionally in love with Vincent Keller.

"This is where you say something, Catherine." He was nervous. What was going on in that beautiful woman's mind? Surely she wasn't thinking of how to reject his offer, was she?

Catherine tried to lean down to him, but when her actions were causing her too much discomfort, he decided to meet her instead. He stood up and leaned over her; she cupped his cheeks with both of her hands and pulled him down for a kiss any couple would envy. Tongues flicked. Teeth nibbled. Lips twisted and turned to accommodate each other's needs. Wants. Desires. She gently pulled away from him and gazed into his love-filled, chocolate eyes. "Yes."

"Yes?" Was that an answer to marry him? To wear the necklace? An affirmation of her love? A promise to a better future? Vincent's mind was all over the place; he didn't really realize that all of those questions were pointing towards the same goal.

"Vincent," Catherine kissed him once more, savoring his taste. She nipped his bottom lip, tugging it gently until it slipped out of her mouth and popped against his upper lip. "When my da—when Thomas married Brooke, I realized a lot of things that could very well be applied to our relationship now." He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, wanting to hear every word that flows out of her mouth. "Like Thomas and Brooke, you and I are very different people—to some people, we shouldn't even be together. We may not have an age difference—well not much of one, anyway, but you and I both know we aren't exactly from the same world—at least, not DNA-wise, if you know what I mean." She paused and closed her eyes as well. "But…despite those differences, despite those obstacles and the people who don't want us together, you and I find ways to ignore them. At least, we have in the past, and I hope we will continue to do so in the future. What I'm trying to say is that I also don't want to live without any regrets, Vincent." Her nose burned; they opened their eyes and bore into each other's souls. Tears fell from both lovers' eyes as Catherine continued. "I almost died. Again," she laughed, "and I realized I don't want to feel like I did in my apartment again when I was praying you'd show up. You had no right to, Vincent. I pushed you away, and yet you still came to my rescue."

"I'll always b—"

"Shhh," she placed her index finger on his lips. He kissed the pad of her finger. "I'm not done." She kissed him once more and continued. "When I was clutching my gut, wondering whether or not you'd arrive, I was afraid…not of me dying, because I face that every day on the job…. I was afraid I would never see you again—that the last image burned into my mind was of you walking away. I don't want to wait until after the next bad thing to happen for us to get married; if that happens, we might never get the chance to say "I do." I _know_ where my heart belongs, Vincent. And I know you do too." Her lips curled to a smile. "After I heal from my injuries, I want to do it." Her nose wrinkled upward as Vincent smiled and kissed her dozens of times.

To be sure, Vincent had to hear her say it again. "Really? You want to get married?"

"Yes, Vincent." Catherine nodded. "Let's get married."

He pulled her in for another kiss. Slowly but surely, all of this dreams he wished to fulfill with the beautiful woman kissing his lips and clutching his hair was coming true.

**~Beauty & the Beast~ **

JT placed the sample underneath the microscope and placed his eye against the eyepiece, when…

"JT," Tess whisked her way through the guild, causing the professor to jump off his chair. "Have the results yet?"

"Don't. _DO_. That." JT slammed his hands on his desk and glared at Tess. She pressed her lips together and muttered a 'sorry.' JT sat back down and repeated the same process when…

"So…have the results yet?" Tess swallowed and stifled a laugh when JT inhaled a deep breath as he took his glasses off and glared at her.

"In order to _get_ results, you have to let me _look_ at the results." JT released a sigh and slid his glasses back over his nose.

Tess clamped her tongue and watched him look into the microscope. She tapped her fingers against the sofa and bounced her legs up and down, waiting impatiently for JT to tell her what the hell was going on. She immediately jumped to her feet. "Okay, it doesn't take _that_ long to look at a red glob, JT. Just tell me what I need to know!"

JT sighed and rubbed his temples. "For the love of Pete's sake! I'm the scientist here, Tess. Now, _please_ , let me do my science!" JT suddenly pushed back his chair, circled over to the bar and grabbed a beer. "Here." He sauntered over to Tess and handed the bottle to her. "It's going to be at least ten minutes. Might as well drink this while you're waiting."

"It takes ten minutes to look at a glob of blood?" Tess smooshed her lips together, not sure if asking that was the best thing to do at the moment. JT was already hyped up as it was; she was just adding fuel to the fire. The annoyed look he gave her was enough. "Right. Beer. I'm gonna gulp this," she swung the bottle in front of his face, "and…let you do your thing now." Tess took the beer and opened it before taking a sip of the cold alcoholic substance.

"Thank you." JT smiled.

When he walked back to his desk, Tess sighed. At least he couldn't hold a grudge forever. She watched him work diligently, writing things down, comparing globs with other globs. She didn't really understand how intricate analyzing DNA was, but she couldn't help but see JT in a new light. For the longest time, she saw the man as a science nerd who did all the techy stuff to help his best friend, Vincent. But, today, he was willing to go above and beyond for his best friend, just as she would for Cat. In a way, she respected JT more. He did so much more than anyone ever gave him credit for. Not to mention, she did think he was adorable back there at the hospital when he got all excited before telling Vincent the news about the antidote. If they hadn't been interrupted the other night due to being called to Gabe's around 1 AM, she was sure they would have had some sort of awkward one night stand. Yes, she kissed him crazily several weeks ago. She tried to deny her feelings because she didn't believe the two of them were a match made in heaven, but the more she hung out with him, the more she grew to appreciating the man.

JT was different than any of the men she's ever dated. He's sweet—when he's not in a foul mood. He's considerate of the people closest to him—and that's a very small circle of friends too. He's pretty intelligent—for your average biochemist, of course. Ever since he told her that he was the one who signed Vincent's name on the Muirfield recruitment list, she started to notice how much the toll of that memory had on him. His best friend's very life was changed—maybe for the better, in Cat's eyes—and there's nothing anybody can do about it. Besides, even though there is turmoil every once in a while, she did notice how Vincent has taken accustomed to his beast. If he didn't have it anymore, would he see himself the same way as he did before he was injected?

Perhaps that's a realm Cat would have to discover herself if it ever happens.

Suddenly, JT jumped from his chair and leapt for joy. "YES!"

Tess spat out her beer and looked at the overjoyed scientist. Now look at who was surprised that time. "Could you tone down your enthusiasm? I nearly choked!"

"Now you know how I feel." JT deadpanned before running up to her and giving her a tight hug. "Vincent and Cat are going to be so thrilled! They'll finally have a chance at a normalish life together!"

"See?" Tess patted JT's shoulder. "See what we can all do when we put our heads together?"

On impulse, JT gripped her shoulders and kissed her hard on the mouth. If anything, Tess was very surprised. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she said "put our heads together," but whatever!

It was going to be a while before they tell their best friends the good news.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

****

**Title** | A Matter of Time

 **Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

 **Description** | What happens if Gabe turns out to be hiding more secrets than Catherine or Vincent ever realized? What if one of them found out about it? What would he or she do? More importantly, how would Gabe respond in order to keep control of the 'situation'? This is my little masterpiece in which my mind created as an addition to the ending of BATB 2.13 "Till Death."

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

 **POV** | Third Person Omniscient

 **Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**A Matter of Time**

**Part 10**

** **

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Every once in a while, nurses came into Catherine's hospital room to check on her stats. Catherine was more than ready to leave the hospital and get back out there in the field. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn't going to happen any time soon. Maybe one or two months depending on her progress. Oh, and there was the psych eval to consider. When the nurses left for the second time in the day, Vincent swept in, carrying a bag on his arm filled with a bunch of things Catherine had asked him to bring.

"Thank _God_ you're here. I thought I was going to go insane!" Catherine gritted her teeth before being greeted with a short kiss. "You brought everything?"

"Mostly. I managed to get your computer, phone charger and your Kindle and its charger, but I couldn't find your slipper socks." He frowned. "Trust me, I looked _everywhere_ in your room."

Catherine sighed. "Checked the top right drawer right?"

"Yes. And the left. And all of the other drawers in the dresser. They simply weren't there." Vincent placed the back down next to the bed and sat down in the chair occupying the space on her left.

Catherine hummed. Then she remembered Heather asking to borrow them for something sometime before she left for Miami. "You know what? It doesn't matter." Catherine caressed his face. "Heather still has them…. I think."

"Oh? Well, I could swoop by her old bedroom and see if they're still in her room." Vincent offered, earning him a kiss on the cheek.

"No, that's all right. I can do without. After all, it's the thought that counts, right?"

He carefully stood up, slid into her bed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him. She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She focused on his scent and inhaled the aroma of his aftershave.

"A penny for your thoughts?" He kissed the top of her head.

"No thoughts…just living in the moment." She smiled, running her hand along his firm chest. Vincent leaned down and kissed her once. Twice. He would have kissed her a third time, but hearing two anxious footfalls striding down the hallway forced him to sit up and look towards the door. Catherine mimicked his actions and saw JT and Tess scramble through the open door. Something was up.

"Anything wrong?" Vincent asked, his eyebrow raised. While JT sat down to catch his breath, Tess leaned against the back wall with her arms crossed in front of her. She smirked.

"No. Not really. Actually, everything seems pretty right, if you ask me."

Confused, Vincent looked at JT. "What's she talking about, buddy?"

"Rest assured," JT's lips curled into a very big smile, "That Gabe won't be causing you guys any trouble anymore."

"The serum worked?!" Both Catherine and Vincent exclaimed. Suddenly Catherine groaned, pressing her hand against her abdomen. "You all right?" Vincent immediately trailed his eyes to her stomach.

"Yeah, just shouldn't have gotten all excited like that." She inhaled a short breath and squeezed her eyes closed. Worried, Vincent peeled back the covers and slightly lifted her shirt. The bandage wasn't soaked with blood so that's good. She at least didn't open her stitches. He flattened her shirt against her skin and pulled the covers back over her. "Thanks." She loved how he was always making sure she was all right. That's what made Vincent, Vincent.

"You two good?" JT raised his eyebrow.

"Yep." Vincent nodded. "We're good."

"Okay, well, like I said, Gabe won't be a problem anymore! Not _only_ did the serum WORK, but Tess got a call from the precinct, and Captain Ward informed her that Gabe was being transferred to a psych ward. He was shouting things like 'Beasts!' and how he was one as well. Sure enough, they took _another_ blood sample and determined that the spectrometer was dirty because he was as human as the rest of us—well, most of us." JT mentally slapped himself for that last comment. "Anyway, they think he took one big dose of crazy and decided he was mentally unstable to be living in a jail cell. He needed other treatment, if you know what I mean." JT walked over to Vincent and slapped his best friend's shoulder. "But wait! There's more!"

"More?" Vincent and Catherine were _definitely_ curious what JT meant. What more could they ask for other than having Gabe out of their lives for good?

Tess walked up to Catherine and sat down in the seat where Vincent normally sits. "Yeah; JT and I put our heads together," she paused, remembering exactly where that phrase led to next, then shook her head. "and we located Sam. Sure enough, he had his briefcase on him so," Tess smirked and lightly chuckled, "I arrested him for handling and dealing _drugs._ "

"And everyone bought that?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. If anything, Sam was hardly carrying around any drugs.

"For now." Tess nodded. "When I opened his case, there were three vials. While Sam was getting his ass booked, JT switched the vials of Beast serum with a synthesized version that is practically harmless; has most of the same chemicals, but less concentrated. Essentially, when Jeff, the coroner, tests the synthesized version, he's going to assume Gabe OD'ed on it, and therefore, it messed up his psyche. I don't understand all of the science like JT, but if he says it's gonna work, then it's gonna work."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence." JT stated smugly. "So…basically, in case your minds are blown, _yes_ , Gabe and Sam are no longer a problem anymore." JT patted Vincent's shoulder again as Tess gave Catherine a gentle hug. "That means, whenever Cat gets the hell out of here, you two can basically have that normalish life you've always wanted!"

After the news sank in, the fabulous four partied until visiting hours were over. JT ordered everyone food off of the hospital menu—well, save for Catherine since she's on a clear liquid diet. But regardless of what Catherine could or could not eat, the celebration was a fun one—something all four would remember four years to come.

The next day was interesting for Vincent and Catherine. She received a text from her sister, saying she was on her way to the hospital to visit. While Catherine _insisted_ Vincent to leave, Vincent refused to depart from her side. He knew she could take care of herself and that there were a ton of doctors and nurses around in case anything were to happen, but, if he had learned anything over this entire ordeal, it was that he didn't want to hide anymore. He _wanted_ to re-meet Catherine's sister. If they were going to get married in the not-so-distant future, he wanted Heather to be there for Catherine and support her. In order to do that, she needs to actually like the groom.

They both agreed they wouldn't tell Heather about beasts for her own safety. The less she knew about Vincent's other half, the better. All she need to know is that Vincent wasn't some ass in her sister's life. She needs to trust him, and it was now or never.

Catherine would only agree to Vincent's presence while her sister was visiting if he agreed to pretend to sleep. She knew that if Heather saw Vincent sleeping, she would not feel threatened by him. Or, at least, she hoped.

"Are you sure this is going to work? Me sleeping, I mean." Vincent raised his eyebrow as he held her hand and placed his head against her lap. He brought her palm up to his lips and kissed it.

"It's the best plan I have." Catherine closed her eyes, even with a simple kiss to her palm, she could feel her toes curling underneath the sheets. "She could be here any moment now so…snore."

"Snore?" He smirked. "I _don't_ snore."

He continued holding her hand. He could sense her sudden arousal. "Perhaps," Vincent rose to his feet and kissed her lips, "I should 'fake sleep' in one of the chairs in the corner, yeah?"

Catherine sighed. "I guess…. Wouldn't want to get _too_ carried away before my sister shows up."

"Exactly." Vincent rubbed his nose against hers before kissing her once more. He pushed himself upward and walked over to the pale green chair. He sat down, scooted the chair a little closer to Catherine and grabbed her hand. He wouldn't be close enough to kiss her fingers, but he could at least hold them as he 'slept.'

She watched him lean his head back and close his eyes. Little, did _she_ know, Vincent was actually very tired from the events of the week. For the first time in a long while, this was his chance to actually take a nap. He wouldn't tell her though. She needed worry about him anymore than she should worry for herself. After all, _she_ is the one in the hospital bed. Not him.

About five or so minutes after Vincent closed his eyes, Catherine heard a pair of footsteps skittering towards the room. Here goes nothing. Possibly needing her hand for later, she slipped her fingers out of Vincent's grip and dove it under the covers. In a matter of seconds, her younger sister, Heather, with a cute new haircut, popped into the room. When she saw that Catherine was awake, she sauntered in, her high heels clucking against the floor as she made her way to Catherine. "Hiiiii!" She exclaimed and gave Catherine a gentle hug. The detective winced a little bit, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"Nope! Good! I'm all good!" Catherine smiled. "How are you? How's Miami?" If she could distract Heather long enough, perhaps she won't even see Vincent.

"Oh, don't bother about me," Heather flicked her wrist downwards, "I want to know about you! How are you doing? I mean…minus the surgery and freaky stitches in your stomach—which, by the way, what happened?!"

Same ole Heather.

"Oh, just a dog attack." Catherine dismissed the truth.

"A dog attack?" Heather wasn't convinced.

"It was a really big dog?" Catherine was out of ideas. So she decided to change the subject. "You know what? It all happened so quickly. I'm just glad my boyfriend got to me in time." Catherine forced a smile. That segue wasn't too soon, was it? Too late to worry about it now.

"Your boyfriend?" Heather tilted her head forwards, raising her eyebrow skeptically.

"Yeah," Catherine nodded. She pressed her lips together. "In fact," she paused briefly, "he's…right over there…." She bobbled her head to her right. Heather took one glance at Vincent. As if his timing couldn't be any more perfect, he squirmed in the seat and twisted his body over as if he was subconsciously trying to get comfortable. No matter how adorable the sight was, Heather quickly shot her sister an "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" look.

"I thought you broke up with him last year!" Heather shouted. Catherine prompted her to keep her voice down.

"I did! Well, technically, at first, it was more of a fake-up…. We staged it for your benefit." Catherine swallowed the lump in her throat. "But then, if it makes you feel any better, we did actually break up about two months ago…, and then I started dating a loser a few weeks later only to find out he was a jerk and the man _still_ love is Vincent." She shifted her hands towards him as if she was Vana White. "Technically…we were _still_ broken up when he found me…. If anything, Heather, I owe him my life."

And then some.

Catherine knew she would always owe Vincent her life. No matter what she does to him, he still saves her. For that, she owes him much more.

"And that's supposed to make things better?! I thought I told you I didn't like him, Cat!" Heather's voice was quiet but harsh.

"Actually, I was hoping you'd forego the feelings you felt about him last year…. Vincent's a good guy, Heath. I wouldn't be dating him if he wasn't." Catherine licked her lips. This wasn't going in the direction she was hoping it would go.

"You've said that about all of the psychos you dated, Cat. So how am I supposed to believe you this time?" Heather folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot against the floor.

Point taken.

"Heather," she tried to sit up and reach for her sister's hand, but pain shot up her body. She immediately fell backwards. Heather teetered over to her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just…in some pain…. It'll subside shortly if I don't move." Catherine took Heather's hand and pressed it against her heart. "Heather, you've got to understand something. No matter what you think about him now, Vincent's the one. He always has been; I've just been blind to it for a while. He's the first man in my life I've ever considered a future with, Heath. And that feeling doesn't come often. I know…I know you don't trust him… _now_ …, but please, give him a second chance.

"Things are different now. He doesn't have to live in the dark anymore like last year. I know he and I should have handled the wedding pictures scenario differently, but he was scared back then. There were bad guys after him, and that's why he couldn't have his photo anywhere. That's why I was so hesitant in letting you meet him. It wasn't because he's a bad guy, Heather, because he's not." She turned her head and looked at Vincent lovingly, knowing he could hear every word.

"When I look at him, everything disappears. My worries. My doubts. My pain. It all goes away because I know I feel safer when I'm with him. The world ceases to exist each morning I wake up and find him still holding me because the fact is, Heather, Vincent _is_ my world; he _is_ my everything." Her eyes met Heather's. "He's my home."

Heather quickly dabbed her cheeks with the pads of her fingers and smiled. "Are you just saying that because you think sympathy would make me like him more?"

"No," Catherine shook her head. "I don't expect you to change your mind about Vincent, Heather. I _want_ you to, but I don't expect you to do anything more than just listen."

"Okay," Heather sat down in the seat next to Catherine's bed. "I'm listening."

"I told you how we were still broken up when I was attacked. Well, I didn't realize how dire my situation was until after I returned home. I toughened my injuries out—pretended it was nothing. When I got home, I could barely get my dress off without nearly fainting from the pain. I was losing more blood than my body could make. But, no matter what was happening to me, I refused to give up on living. Vincent was all I could think about when I was lying on the floor and passing out from the extensive blood loss. I didn't even make it to my cellphone to call him; yet," her nose burned, "he still came. Somehow, he knew I needed him even _after_ I refused to let him back into my life. For that, I owe him everything— _my_ everything. If the situation were reversed, I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost him, Heather."

Heather raked her hand through her short hair and sighed. "You really do love him, don't you." It wasn't a question. It was an observation.

Catherine nodded. "Yes. He is encoded in every cell of my body, and I'm sure it's the same for him too. That being said," She dug into her shirt and pulled out her ring, "I've accepted his hand in marriage, and whether you like him or not, I could really use your support."

"Then I guess it can't be helped then." Heather released a sigh. "If you feel _that_ strongly about him," she sniffled and gently wiped her eyes, "then I guess I can learn to like him too."

Catherine smiled. "That means a lot to me."

Heather pulled Catherine in for a hug without trying to cause her any pain. "You're my only family, Cat. I'd hate to lose my sister over a silly debacle concerning a guy."

"Half sister…" Catherine reminded Heather.

"Half? Whole? Who cares?" Heather shrugged. "A sister is a sister. Got that?" Heather waved her finger in front of Catherine's face, causing the detective to laugh.

Catherine gripped her stomach and inhaled deeply. "I'm fine." Catherine reassured her sister. "Just sore. Okay?"

"What was so funny?" Heather's lips curled to a toothy grin. Her nose wrinkled upwards just like her sister's does when she's extremely happy.

Catherine looked over to Vincent and the back to Heather. "Someone said something very similar to me a while back. That's all."

Heather glanced in Vincent's direction and studied the sleeping man before looking at her sister again. "Then that person is very wise."

"Indeed." Catherine grinned. He definitely _was_ very wise—in many cases, that certain someone was her voice of reason. She wouldn't be where she was today if not for him.

"By the way," Heather examined Catherine's engagement ring, "why aren't you flashing that rock of yours?"

"Subtlety." Catherine shrugged. "When he proposed, we didn't know _when_ or _if_ we'd ever marry…. There were a lot of obstacles at the time. However, now that two of those obstacles have been eliminated, we decided to marry shortly after I am clear to leave the hospital. But it probably won't happen until I've been cleared to engage in strenuous activity…if you know what I mean." Catherine blushed. She wasn't used to sharing certain details of her sexual life with her sister. Having her sister know about—well—mostly about Vincent was still very new to her.

"So…you two…how long have you to been getting freaky?" Heather had to know. After all, it was _her_ responsibility to make sure Catherine didn't grow up to be an old maid.

"And _that_ is where I draw the line." Catherine said, zipping her lips closed. "No sex questions. That's the deal."

"Aww, but why?!"

"Because, Heath, there are _some_ things you just don't discuss with someone. I don't even tell _Tess_ about my sexual relationship with Vincent. The lid on _that_ container stays _closed._ "

Heather rolled her eyes. "You're such a woman of principle. At least, can you tell me if he's well-endowed?" Catherine glanced over at Vincent and saw one of his eyes pop open. Of course he would be interested in hearing the answer as well. "Well?"

"If you _must_ know, then yes." Catherine's face felt hot. Even with one eye open, her fiancé was surveying her. Even if the answer was 'no,' which it wasn't, she doubt she would tell her sister that 'what-if' reply. She would lie, even then. "He is."

"I bet that makes _you_ happy in bed." Heather laughed. She looked at her watch. "Whoops! I need to get going, Cat. Got a date tonight!"

"A date? Really?"

"Yup! If you must know, I didn't _just_ meet the guy. We met down in Miami…and have been dating for four months now." Heather gathered her things and gave her sister another hug. "I promise I'll give Vincent a chance, Cat. Just give me time, okay?"

"That's all I ask." Catherine kissed Heather on the forehead and waved goodbye when she and her black Louboutins tottered out of sight.

When the coast was clear, her insides melted to goo as a raspy, amused voice brushed against her ear, "So…You think I'm well-endowed?" Catherine's mouth fell open as she tried to explain herself. "That's okay," he kissed her cheek. "You don't need to explain." He feathered kisses along her jawline, starting underneath her ear and trailing towards her chin. Minutes later, his lips and tongue found her mouth, and it didn't take long for them to zone the world out and focus on what's before them.

"Silly me! I can't believe I forgot my purse!" a bubbly voice laughed and walked in, but they paid no mind to the owner. They heard the owner stop in her tracks and could feel her eyes staring at them. But, even in that moment, they didn't care. All they could focus on was each other. "I'll just…grab it and be out of your way." The voice's owner came closer. Vincent sensed her bending down and picking something up. After clanking her way out of the room, Vincent pulled apart from Catherine and laughed, his thumb rubbing against her chin.

Catherine wrapped her arms around Vincent's neck as he slowly climbed onto her hospital bed. He couldn't lay on top of her, but he _could_ hover over her and kiss her crazily. That's what he intended on doing every single moment for the remainder of Catherine's stay. Catherine weaved her fingers into his hair and pulled him in for another kiss.

"I'm so in love with you," Vincent whispered as he nipped at her bottom lip.

"And I, you." Catherine mumbled into his warm breath as he captured her lips again. She loved this man with all of her heart, mind and soul. Every second and every moment spent with the man before her was worth anything and everything. She would go to the ends of the Earth for Vincent Keller, and there was nothing anybody can do to ever stop her. Not now. Not ever again. She was _his_ and he was hers.

That's all that mattered.

While the beauty and her beast enjoyed each other's company in the hospital room, JT and Tess popped their heads into the room, seeing the couple visibly making out like there was no tomorrow. They stepped back out into the hallway and headed for the café. Once seated, JT stretched out his arms and placed them behind his head. "See? I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Tess laughed and leaned forward onto the table separating her from the professor.

"I knew they'd get back together."

"Duh. I think it was obvious." A smirk found Tess's lips.

"Even _before_ this fiasco happened. I _knew_ they would find each other again. Vincent'll kill me if you ever breathe this to another soul, but after he saw Gabe and Cat dancing and kissing—God, I hope I never have to say those two names in the same sentence ever again…." JT grimaced, but continued. "uh… kissing after the Sam and Dana's wedding that _did not end up_ happening, he was heartbroken. Poor guy, too. He told me—and himself—that he didn't deserve her. He recognized that her happiness was the most important thing to him and after everything that happened between them, he convinced himself he wasn't capable of bringing her that happiness. _He_ was willing to let her go. Obviously, I wasn't convinced. I think…when he saw her on the floor of her apartment that night, he realized he just couldn't let her go." JT sighed. "So yeah, color me lame or whatever, but I believed in my best friend. Catherine's happiness may be the most important thing to him, but _his_ happiness is what's important to me."

Tess scooted her chair in and flashed a smile. "Well, for better or for worse, it seems like everything worked out."

"Yeah." JT nodded. He rose to his feet, walked over to the cashier and paid for two coffees. When they were brewed and given to him, he walked back to his seat and handed one to Tess. "Here." He took a sip of his own. "To a better future for Vincent and Cat."

"I'll drink to that." Tess chuckled, taking a swig of her own coffee. "By the way, JT, what you did for Vincent—what you were _willing_ to do for Vincent—it's admirable. You truly are a good friend to him."

"Thanks."

"I'm not done." Tess placed her coffee cup on the table and leaned forward. "JT, as much as you care for Vincent, you need to let him find his place on his own. I hate to break this to you, but he has Cat in his life. You need to stop blaming yourself whenever something bad—even as simple as a heartbreak—happens to the guy. In order to find his place in the world, he's got to find his own footing, don't you think?"

JT never thought about it before. He always considered being there for Vincent through thick and thin. Now that his best friend was with Cat, there's a big chance the two of them will move in together. Then…things would be like they were BEFORE Vincent went off to war. He'd be living in his own place again, and his best friend would be living with the love of his life. It was a dream come true, mostly. "Yeah, but if I never signed his name up, the—"

"Then he never would have found Cat." Tess finished for him. "Like it or not, JT, I have to believe Vincent's beast is more of a blessing than a curse. Yes, there are times he can't control it or he does something crazily insane, but if you never signed his name up on that list, he never would have saved Cat eleven years ago, and I would have never met my best friend. Crazy things happen, but sometimes, those crazy things lead people to something better." She squeezed JT's hand. "You need to give yourself more credit, JT. If anything, Vincent should _thank_ you for caring enough to save his life."

"That may be, but you weren't there during the first nine years— _before_ Cat officially met him. It was painful to watch him look in the mirror and hate what he saw every day. Honestly, if he _didn't_ save Catherine that night in the woods, I doubt he would even be here today. There was only so much I could do, but saving her…checking up on her…watching over her…, it gave him a sense of purpose, and I have to believe it's because of Catherine that Vincent didn't lose himself to his darker side." JT gulped another sip down and sighed. "Looks like we _all_ have something to thank our friends for."

"Looks like." Tess smiled. She released his hand, leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "I don't care what anybody says, JT, you _so_ deserve the Medal of Honor. If not for you, Gabe could still be a beast and Sam would still be out there. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're a genius."

JT nodded. A smirk found his lips. "I am, aren't I?" He placed his drink in front of him and added, "I was also genius enough to tell V to keep fighting."

"I guess, but…you know," Tess tilted her head and sneered, "It was only a matter of time before those two find each other again. Even if Cat continued dating he who must not be named, I'm sure she would eventually find herself in Vincent's arms sooner or later."

"It's possible." JT shrugged. "But…I'd like to think I played the ultimate matchmaker in this one."

Tess rolled her eyes, laughing. "You're such an idiot sometimes." With that, Tess stood up, grabbed her coffee and circled around JT. "Thanks for the coffee and the talk, but I better go. It's getting pretty late, you know?"

"Yeah…" JT nodded, watching her walk away. ' _Good going, Forbes. You went from being a genius to an idiot in a matter of seconds._ ' "H-hang on!" JT exclaimed, immediately rising to his feet. He picked up his coffee and jogged over to Tess. "I'll walk you to your car."

"Took you long enough." Tess said as she bumped his shoulder. "There may be some mental hope for you yet!"

"Oh, I'm full of mental hope." JT chuckled, causing Tess to laugh as the two walked out of the café and headed for the parking garage.

**Fin.**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**


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